Tragedy in the News

Many students are aware of the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti yesterday. In a recent exercise some groups predicted that quakes could occur in the Caribbean. It is clear that despite knowing that the country is located on several fault lines, government officials over many decades have done nothing to prepare. Thousands of avoidable deaths and the associated devastation appear to be the result of a lack of scientific understanding.
Our hearts go out to the already oppressed and "distastered" people of Haiti, the poorest nation in the world.