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Rebuilding Harrisburg After Flood

It seems that out of the entire region, it was Harrisburg that suffered the most from the flood in more ways than just financial.  Many of the city’s areas are facing difficult green issues, such as downed trees which don’t seem to be such a priority for the city that really has its plate full with everything else it has to deal with to try and adjust after the flood.

Thankfully however, help is at hand.  A volunteer group will be engaging in a citywide tree restoration plan for the city!  This work has been going on for some time already.  Indeed, one of the volunteers – John First – began work on this back in June, on the task force.  According to a recent news article this was important to First as he realized just how much the houses in the area needed their shade which has disappeared after what has happened to the trees.

Thus the group aims to plant new trees; take care of the ones that are damaged and build a citizen-friendly database which “will allow city planners and citizens alike to know where each tree is located in the city. To know how old it is, has it had any problems.”

Great Plan for Harrisburg

Clearly this volunteer program is showing that every cloud has a silver lining.  True, it’s been terrible how Harrisburg and its residents have taken the toll following the flood.  But this volunteer project is a great new start for the city, and it shows unity and a sense of community spirit, bringing together people who might otherwise not have been involved as they want to see their city recover and improve.  As First notes, “the city’s broke and this is about citizens coming together and working together and that’s what this is all about it’s about bringing together all of the different neighborhoods together.”  There’s a good chance he will be proved correct.