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  (Photo: The Christian Post/Vincent Funaro)
  This image displays a house that was knocked off its foundation during Hurricane Sandy and now appears to be sinking. This picture was taken in the New Dorp Beach area of Staten Island.

In the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, relief efforts from around the country began to collect donations of all sizes and started to organize volunteers to aid in the recovery.

On Monday, ABC collected more than $17 million in donations from its "Day of Giving," in which programming that aired from morning to night encouraged viewers to make financial donations that would be directed to those Americans that need it the most.

Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television Group, developed the idea to broadcast relief efforts with regularly scheduled programming.

"This unprecedented devastation demanded an unprecedented response, so our team came up with the 'Day of Giving,'" Sweeny read in a statement.

"This coordinated effort between network and syndicated programming spanning News, Daytime, Primetime and Late-Night will reach tens of millions of viewers with a specific call to action & to do what Americans do best, and pull together in support of those who are suffering," she added.

Hurricane Sandy brought devastation on a scale not often seen. The storm brought the ocean up to a quarter mile inland in some places along the New Jersey and New York shores and knocked out power to nearly 10 million people within the region.

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The storm also left thousands of people without a place to go and emergency responders are still housing people in shelters until federal assistance can be used to find temporary housing.

"Our 'Day of Giving' was an enormous success, raising more than $16.8 million dollars to help those impacted by Hurricane Sandy," Sweeney said.

"From 'Good Morning America,' 'The View' and our Owned TV Stations to 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,' ABC Family, and Radio Disney, the Disney/ABC TV Group came together in an unprecedented fashion to address the storm's devastation, and I could not be more proud," she said.

Relief efforts throughout the region are still collecting donations and volunteers are still needed to help aid in the recovery.