Vermont will pull through

The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press: There’s no question that Vermont will pull through even the worst of the ravages left by Tropical Storm Irene. There’s also no question that Vermonters will be far from alone in facing the challenges of recovery.

The days immediately following the storm saw hundreds of Vermonters turn out to help their friends and neighbors in need in whatever way they could. Those volunteer efforts continue, weeks after the storm hit.

Now members of the broader Vermont community are stepping up in another way, with generous donations and fund-raising events, and efforts to keep the needs of Irene victims from fading from the public consciousness.

Waterbury-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has pledged $250,000 for relief and emergency preparedness in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Northfield Savings Bank has promised $100,000 to the Green Mountain United Way Disaster Relief Fund.

Phish, the band founded in Burlington, is putting on a benefit concert at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction next week, pledging 100 percent of proceeds from ticket and merchandise sales.

The Gannett Foundation, sponsored by Gannett Co. Inc., which owns the Burlington Free Press, is making a $10,000 grant to the American Red Cross in Burlington to aid in Irene recovery efforts.

These are just a few of the ways our community is stepping up. Many other people and organizations are also hard at work finding ways — big and small — to help our state.

There is no doubt cleaning up the mess left by Irene will prove to be enormously expensive.