Our nation is deeply divided in many ways, but when natural disaster strikes the reality of what’s really important seems to hit home and bring Americans together, regardless of political affiliation and petty disagreements.
With the recent Colorado flooding that took at least eight lives and destroyed more than 2,000 homes, once again we saw an amazing generosity by fellow Americans in response to disaster. In last summer’s horrific fires that also devastated the Rocky Mountain State, President Obama noted, “When natural disasters happen like this, Americans come together. We all have to make sure we have each other’s backs.”
Among the dozens of aid groups that came out to help people get their lives together in response to the flooding, including the American Red Cross, United Way, Save the Children, Salvation Army, and more, were thousands of individual aid workers like Wayne Shoemaker.
Newsweek reported that the 56-year-old flew out from Charlotte, North Carolina and as of September 27, when the article was published, he was sleeping on the floor of a church in Niwot, Colorado working from 5 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. every day to help organize volunteer efforts. He told Newsweek that due to the extreme amount of mud that washed into the flood areas it “sometimes takes a team of 20 to 25 people to work on a house for 2 or 3 days to get it done.”
After Hurricane Sandy hit the nation’s East Coast last fall, there were said to be “ceaseless reports of acts of kindness around everywhere.”
Millions of people were left without power and running water, and New York City’s transit system was crippled for days, yet residents were able to rely on the kindness of strangers in order to “temper the blow.”
CNET reported that Newark, New Jersey Mayor Corey Booker personally helped dozens of people who were said to have requested assistance via Twitter late into the night, while others checked in on the sick and elderly, shared food and information with their neighbors, and helped support each other in numerous other ways.
Although there were many reports of crime including looting and even hijacking following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, there were also said to be many more legitimate reports of altruism, cooperativeness and camaraderie.
Agencies like the Red Cross placed volunteers throughout the region to help those in need and many states sent workers like police and firefighters, as well as plumbers and electricians. Across the entire nation people opened their homes to those who had lost theirs during the storm.
Natural disasters like these help to unite us in our desire to aid those in need. Over a century ago during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many disasters before, and likely others that will strike in the future, people come together. Sometimes they don’t realize how much they need each other until disaster hits home.
During challenging times like these people often find the meaningful role of deep social connection, which is frequently absent in everyday life. The more socially connected we are, the more likely we are to survive physically as well as emotionally.
-The Alternative Daily
