SENATOR WILKERSON CALLS THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL AND TIMELY
RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA

BOSTON — Senator Wilkerson (D-Boston) convened a meeting this morning to unite local elected officials, community leaders, and members of the clergy to organize Boston’s response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Angry at the perceived lack of preparation and slow response from those responsible for dealing with such natural disasters, Wilkerson called upon her community to ensure that local initiatives are both successful and timely and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues their response in a responsible manner.

“There are few words that can describe what we are feeling about the graphic images of people suffering from the aftermath of the hurricane that has destroyed much of the southern states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi,” said Wilkerson. “All of us as citizens of this country must dig deep as well to find something we can do.”

Wilkerson feels it is crucial that the Boston response be as organized as possible and hopes that local initiatives may inspire other cities and states wishing to help the survivors of the hurricane. Along with convening the meeting, Wilkerson began a toiletry drive at both her State House and District Office to provide much needed items to those housed at the Superdome and Astrodome.

“A lot of people want to help but can’t write a check,” said Wilkerson. “We found something they can do. The perfect toiletries are those that make it into our luggage after a stay at a hotel or those sent as promotion to us in the mail. We all have them under the sink and in the cabinet of our bathrooms. Even such a small gesture makes a huge difference for those who lost everything in the hurricane.”

Wilkerson also wrote letters to Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator John Kerry, and Congressman Edward Markey urging them to make a special plea to the media as to the importance of accurate, fair and unbiased coverage
of the hurricane survivors. Wilkerson is concerned with the usage of the “refugee” which has a legal connotation that should not be attributed to the Americans displaced by this disaster.

“Those who are hurricane victims need to know that the citizens of Massachusetts are committed to helping them any way possible. We are committed because we view them as sisters and brothers. They suffer and we
suffer,” said Reverend Jeffery Brown, who is coordinating the arrival of evacuees into the Otis Air Force Base.

“There is not a person in this state who has not been affected by this tragedy either by what they see on TV or by having a loved one lost in the flood. The victims are not refugees, and as our brothers and sisters we reach out to them with the love in our hearts to help them.”

Currently serving her seventh term in the Massachusetts Senate, Senator Wilkerson’s Senate District includes the Boston neighborhoods of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Chinatown, Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roxbury, the South End, and parts of the Fenway, Dorchester, and Mattapan. Wilkerson serves as Chair of the Joint Committee of State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.