Here is the latest news from the Phillipines. It isn't good. When we left this developing story Friday, we were hopeful that the Phillipine governments extensive preparations would help ensure a low casualty rate from the devastating typhoon. That hasn't happened. Thousands have been killed, and chaos reigns in much of the country.
One of the things that can happen when government and law and order break down after a natural disaster is looting and murder, and some of that is taking place.
The worst thing about this is that emergency workers, who have to find ways to get help to hurting people, may not be safe as they get their work done.
Remember, those of you that are planning a career in uniform, that in these kind of situations all peace officers are drafted to help, as are park rangers, as well as search and rescue volunteers. Our own Unity College SAR team is part of the Waldo County Emergency Management Agency asset list, and we have an agreement with them that Unity students will play a useful role in the event of a major weather or other disaster here in our part of Maine.
Given what is happening to our weather, it's really only a matter of time before the day when we must deliver on this promise.
In better news, from the scene of an earlier disaster in Haiti, where an earthquake in 2010 may have killed as many as a quarter-million people. Unity student Mike Ansara's dad was head of construction for this great solar hospital building, part of the earthquake recovery, and an interesting example of how developing countries can "leapfrog" the dirty development stage of industrial capitalism.
The second link contains a great movie. We'll study this in class today.
http://inhabitat.com/pihs-solar-powered-mirebalais-hospital-opens-in-haiti-merging-innovative-design-and-healthcare/
http://www.designboom.com/architecture/worlds-largest-solar-powered-hospital-opens-in-haiti/
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