Harvey, Jose, Irma, and Maria: Four names now associated with death and destruction caused by hurricane-force winds, rain and tides during the last month. The devastation visited on Texas, Florida and Caribbean islands took a toll in human losses and billions of dollars in destroyed property.
The rush to help in the wake of each of the hurricanes translated into an outpouring of generosity and selflessness displayed in Lynn, across the North Shore, and around the country. Trained emergency workers and other disaster specialists stepped out of their daily lives and into relief and recovery work that will probably stretch across weeks.
The hurricanes and the misery they caused will eventually drop out of the headlines and become enduring concerns for communities and, in some cases, states and countries working to rebuild in the wake of the September onslaughts.
Hurricanes and other natural disasters have always had their way with human beings, but the age of instant information and a world bound together by the Internet creates opportunities for people to continue to helping individuals, families and communities leveled by Harvey, Jose, Irma and Maria.
The most effective long-term help might just come in the form of sustained investment strategies effort tailored to people in communities trying to put the pieces back together.
People who lost homes, vehicles, businesses and workplaces need somewhere to live and work. Providing the resources for rebuilding may translate into business opportunities for entrepreneurs but sustaining the investment may require a long range money stream that lending institutions can’t provide or may be unwilling to provide.
Finding the source for that investment stream is a challenge innovative and imaginative people can tackle and surely master. Solutions to massive challenges sometimes get built the same way gigantic buildings get constructed: One idea or one brick at a time.
There has to be an effective way to channel the modest contributions of many people to meet the needs of individuals devastated by the recent hurricanes. The potential to match resources with needs is underscored by the close connections binding hurricane victims to the people who stand ready to help them.
People who have faced down New England blizzards can identify with Texans braving hurricanes. Florida is a warm-weather destination for plenty of New England residents and the ties that bind Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to the Northeastern United States, including Lynn and other cities, stretch across generations.
Places hit hard this month by hurricanes need help now. But they also need long-term, sustained investment to completely rebuild from the rubble and spend the money required to face down future storms.
