There is an excellent book on this theme, which I have been recommending liberally for several years: "A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster".
That was the first thing on my mind, also. I found that book during a really difficult time in my life and it really helped me find an optimist hopeful perspective when everything seemed hopeless- it inspired me deeply.
https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Built-Hell-Extraordinary-Com...