And, clean-up crews who were charged with washing away the molasses were people who lived and worked in the affected community. Disasters begin and end locally – Local crews including the Boston police, the Red Cross and Cadets from the USS Nantucket, along with residents who were charged with immediate response.Over apples and Cheez-It crackers, my daughter and I talked about this disaster event and together we laid out what we thought were three important takeaways that were both important to her fourth-grade life as well as to my work community. Indeed, the Boston Globe referred to this event as “Boston’s Strangest Disaster.” In total, 21 people were killed and more than 150 people injured. 15, 1919, a massive steel tank containing 2.3 million gallons of molasses broke open causing a 15-foot wave of molasses to race through the North End of Boston at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. What I learned from the 10-year-old was both fascinating and completely relevant to our work at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
Hmmm? Head scratch and then crickets followed on my end. “Mom, we learned about a disaster today!” I took the bait and asked if she was learning about typhoons, tornadoes, tsunamis or temblors, to which she quickly replied, “NO, we are learning about The Great Molasses Flood!” The fourth-grader, while sitting in front of her snack plate after school, widened her eyes and began a story. You will be surprised by how relevant these lessons are to all of us, disaster philanthropists, in our endeavors to help equip communities for any disaster event.
I have written about my daughters in the past – about how I learn about disasters from them and about how they view, or perhaps are taught to view, hazards through their respective 10- and 12-year-old eyes.
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