I struggled with writing this week’s blog. I wanted to honor and acknowledge all those who have suffered so greatly over these past few months. An almost unrelenting stream of tragedies, both human-caused and natural, have left most of us reeling when we see the destruction, pain and suffering the storms, earthquakes, fires and terrorist attacks have wrought. But that pales in the face of what those who were directly impacted by these disasters must face every day for a long time to come . . . perhaps for their entire lifetimes.

Most of us can only imagine what life must be like for those whose homes have been swept away by wind, water or fire and struggle with meeting the most basic of daily needs. Our hearts ache for those who don’t know what has happened to loved ones, who have been severely injured or who have lost family members and friends, but unless we personally lived through similar circumstances, we can’t really understand how those losses impact the victims of these horrific events.

Those of us who have visited the impacted areas for business or leisure may feel a greater connection with those residents and a greater sense of loss. My husband and I just a year ago visited St. Maarten and San Juan on a cruise, and we have followed closely the reports of the damage hurricanes Irma and Maria left in their wake. How painful it is to see such beautiful, lush landscapes scoured to bare ground and to hear of the great suffering of the warm and welcoming people who live there. We’ve enjoyed trips to Las Vegas and cannot comprehend how quickly a place of such exuberance and life became a scene of such horror. We’ve traversed the beautiful Columbia Gorge dozens of times and dread our next trip there following the wildfires that rampaged through last month.

And now we watch as the lovely Napa and Sonoma valleys fight huge, apocalyptic wildfires, leaving death and ashes in their wake. We’ve spent so much time driving the backroads and vineyards there, visiting our favorite wineries in Calistoga and Healdsburg and everywhere in between. We scour Facebook pages, scanning reports from our friends there and praying the winds and the fires relent soon. Even those whose homes and wineries escape the flames must worry whether this year’s vintage may be affected due to power outages during crucial periods of the crush and fermentation processes, or due to smoke taint or the inability to pick the last of this harvest’s grapes.

Most of these areas rely heavily on tourism for their livelihoods, and the longer it takes them to rebuild infrastructure, the longer it will be before they have the means to support themselves by welcoming visitors. As soon as they open their doors, however, the best way to help them is to return and provide the economic boost they will need. The landscapes surely will have changed, but the best way to honor the resilience and perseverance of the survivors is to support them with our patronage. In the meantime, consider donating to effective charitable organizations, donating your time and talents where they are needed, and advocate for those who must pick up the pieces of their altered realities.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor