Natural Disasters And The Impact Of Social Responsibility
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F2 tornadoes are arbitrary predators
As was already blogged about, there were a series of F2 Tornadoes, which hit the greater Toronto area last week. What you do not know is that I live very close to one of the areas hardest hit. It is quite humbling to see a house, that have been there for 40 years, be reduced to a pile of rubble. This one area in particular was the kind of neighborhood everybody knows of – a quiet residential quarter with an elementary school at the top of the street. It is the kind of place where the parents who have now become grandparents take their grandkids to the same school that their children attended. Everyone knows their neighbors, and even though some have moved away they all seem to keep in touch; so it was not surprising that when this disaster hit no one had to say “where am I going to go now?” A myriad of family or friends were just a few blocks down the road.
The shocking reality about an F2 tornado is that it is so arbitrary. The devastation does not make any sense. In this winding street three houses in a row could be destroyed and then a few fine then another demolished. I always heard that it made no sense but seeing the damage up close and personal is alarming. What is impressive is the way that the community is banding together, in the past the impact of social responsibility has always been visible in our community as we have been among the first to send aid to disaster areas in developing countries or anywhere else for that matter. It is very different to see people band together for their neighbors and it is a beautiful thing to see the impact of social responsibility.
Home Depot understands the importance and impact of social responsibility as they have donated the wood to patch roofs temporarily. This is for homeowners who have roof damage but no structural damage so they do not have to worry about further water damage. Local churches are making second collections to help rebuild out broken community. But what is most astounding are the volunteers that are spending their free hours boarding up homes and cleaning the area. When you have visited the area now, almost a week after the devastation, you can see the impact of social responsibility, as members of the community have worked shoulder to shoulder with the Red Cross and Salvation Army and are making a real and tangible difference.
One semi-humor anecdote from the countless stories I have heard, was one where a Dad while Barbecuing dinner notice the sky had changed. He thought it was neat and ran in the kitchen to call his family to witness these. When he went back outside, not only was the meat gone but so to was the barbecue. He had no dinner, but he escaped with his life.
Everyone has a story amidst a devastation. You always want to believe that yours is a strong community, but when push comes to shove, there is great sense of pride in knowing that, this belief was well founded.
In the end I have think that those who don’t believe in global warming are just plain wrong. How else do you explain such a change in weather patterns that it would lead to this kind disaster? The summer’s climate has not been normal - excessive rain and very little sun. Now these wild, wicked, wanton tornadoes that destroyed homes but not families, spirit or communities. Yet in the midst of all this destruction, it’s heart-warming to know the strong winds didn’t blow away the impact of social responsibility.
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