By: Justin Feil
Either it’s busy or an ominous message plays when trying to call Walter Hopkins’ cell phone.
"Due to the hurricane in the area you are calling, your call cannot be completed as dialed."
Hopkins is a Princeton University sophomore. Last fall, he played wide receiver and defensive back for the Tigers’ sprint football team, a team that has no doubt struggled mightily. They have not won a game since 1998. It’s nothing compared to what Hopkins and his family are trying to get through now.
Hopkins is a native of Covington, La., an area that was ravaged Monday by Hurricane Katrina. Damage to the region is estimated to be over $20 billion. The loss of life may reach the thousands, say the most recent estimates. Hopkins wasn’t at his Covington home when the hurricane hit so he didn’t have the chance to clear his house of his treasured belongings.
"When the threat of the hurricane really materialized," wrote Hopkins by e-mail on Monday night, the only way to reach him, "I was already at LSU in Baton Rouge with friends. My parents told me that I might as well stay here, and they headed east to Birmingham, Ala."
Hopkins should have been thinking about returning to school soon. He’d been lifting and working out to drop closer to the 170-pound weight maximum for sprint football players. But he’d like a chance to return home first.
"My house is probably a mess," Hopkins wrote. "They haven’t told us when we’ll be able to return to Covington. They are, of course, concerned about looters. Anyone found in St. Tammany Parish will be removed."
Monday night, Hopkins had far more than looters on his mind. His worldly possessions meant nothing.
"I haven’t even been able to contact my parents for days, and I’m terrified for my grandparents who inflexibly rode it out south of the lake," Hopkins wrote. "To me, a lot of people here especially the older generations don’t seem to believe in hurricanes. They’ve been so lucky so many times that the idea of a hurricane truly sinking Louisiana is unfathomable."
Of course, now everyone sees that is not true. Aid is rushing to Louisiana while Louisiana residents are rushing away from their home state. This is just another reminder of how frivolous sports are.
In a little over a week, we will recognize the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Everyone remembers where they were on that terrible day. People from across the nation responded quickly with all they could.
Now people are being asked to respond to another section of America struck by disaster. This time it was a natural disaster, but it warrants just as much attention, thoughts and charity.
Hopkins won’t be the only one worried about his home, his parents and his grandparents, let alone how they will go on from this. The Jefferson Parish, La. 13-year-old baseball team that defeated Montgomery for the Babe Ruth World Series on Saturday likely had no place to return to after their win. There will be hundreds of thousands of people in the same situation.
Calling a local number may get a busy signal, or a recorded message. But there are ways to help. The American Red Cross, redcross.org, has already begun emergency relief. The Red Cross can be reached at 1-800-HELP-NOW. They need money to help the Hurricane Katrina victims like Walter Hopkins. Give them a call.
If it’s busy, keep trying.
