Debra Jacobs The life-altering impact that a disaster has on our lives is more pronounced now than at any time in recent memory. Much like a catastrophic hurricane, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the fortunes of people from different walks of life, bringing both health and financial challenges that threaten our long-term safety. For many this means facing a reality that endangers their ability to provide basic needs for themselves or their families for the first time in their lives. Their once-steady jobs – and in some cases, the businesses in which they work – are indefinitely on hold or altogether gone.