Posted September 8, 2005

By Rick Winterson

     There is no question that Hurricane Katrina was a major disaster all along the Gulf Coast, especially in the 150-mile stretch between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Gulfport/Biloxi in Mississippi. The news stories are nothing short of frightening. Reportedly, a 45-foot crest, made unstoppable by intense Force Four hurricane winds, hit that area. We don't know the exact death toll yet, but Katrina has certainly caused the largest economic disaster in U.S. history - something approaching $30 billion.

      You may ask what we can do locally. Or, given the federal aid pouring into the area and the emigration of many Orleanders to Boston, whether our help is still needed. The answer is an emphatic "Yes!"
Before you decide how you can help, just imagine:

      If a 45-foot storm crest hit South Boston, driven by a Force Four hurricane, what would happen? Such an event is not impossible. The hurricanes of 1954 and 1938 were nearly that intense.

     First, the crest would slam across the South Boston beaches. It would be four stories high, meaning that essentially every home and building from Farragut Road to L Street would be inundated. All would be leveled - they would be splinters and rubble. Anyone who had not evacuated would probably be drowned.

     Second, the crest would split in two at Dorchester Heights and swirl around both sides. While many of the homes on the Heights would not be affected, the currents might conceivably knock the high rise off its pilings. On the other side of the Heights, the crest would head for the harbor and sluice down West Broadway and Dorchester Street, scouring them clean of any structures (or people).

     Third, the crest would cause all kinds of secondary effects. The Red Line subway tunnel would be flooded, perhaps for weeks. Fort Point Channel would spill over its banks. Dead bodies would be floating in Flood Square. In sight of downtown Boston, there would be no food, no heat, no clean water, little medical care, no work, no transportation, few lodgings, and no hope beyond getting a space to sleep in the Fleet Center (if it was still standing).

     This is not science fiction. It is taking the actual events on the Gulf Coast and simply laying them over the contours of South Boston. We would be in desperate need of all kinds of help - just like our brothers and sisters along the Gulf are in need right now.

     Not only should we be humbly grateful for our good fortune, we also must step forward. We cannot turn away.

     Many other nations have offered aid. Even tiny, poverty-stricken Sri Lanka, which is still trying to recover from the tsunami, has chipped in.

     The Red Sox are organizing a fundraising rally. Private individuals are putting together a truck fleet to drive food and supplies to the Gulf. Major agencies like the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and Catholic Charities are responding. Boston has thrown its doors open to refugees. But however you choose to help, do it now. It's still urgent.