As the riots begin to drop down the news agenda, communities are beginning to count the human and financial cost of the recent shameless acts of violence and looting.
The pockmarked high streets where livelihoods and businesses have been smashed and raised to the ground are easy to see, but the emotional scars, the fear and the anger are invisible and will take longer to heal.
At Victim Support we're used to dealing with the effects of crime on individuals and their communities. For the most part, apart from rare terrorist events or occasional large-scale crimes such as the attacks in Cumbria last year, we deal with single incidents that affect one or two people, or perhaps a family group.
But the scale of these riots has taken us all aback and as the rebuilding begins, we shouldn't allow fear and the fear of crime to divide our communities and wreck people's lives.
I was deeply moved by the words and dignity of Tariq Jahan, who along with the parents of two other young men lost a child in my home city of Birmingham.
Now is the time for our communities to come together to ensure that the corrosive effect of fear and unease doesn't take hold.
The spirit behind the stories of selflessness, of people helping one another and coming together to clean up their damaged communities has to endure.
In Haringey and Croydon the local council has worked with community organisations and charities like Victim Support to give support and establish community assistance centres.
People in Haringey for example who have been affected by the riots can visit the walk-in centres and get help with practical issues such as re-housing, insurance and legal issues, as well as emotional support.
In other communities people are coming together and we are working with agencies and local groups to ensure that people get the help and support they need.
Compensation may be coming, but many people need help right now. So we are making an immediate difference by helping with practical things like repairing doors and windows and helping replace essential items lost by fires or other criminal damage.
We must also not forget that it will take time for the scars to fade and for people to move on. Behind every trashed shop front and burnt out building are people's jobs and homes. Buildings will be rebuilt, but we will be there working with victims and communities for as long as it takes. We know that once the TV crews have gone that we need to rebuild people as well as homes and livelihoods. This takes time, emotional support and ongoing practical help.
This is why we are launching our 'Safe again' campaign to help in the short term and to help people and communities rebuild their lives in the months to come.
Visit justgiving.com/safeagain to support our campaign and make a donation