On Disasters: H1N1, earthquakes and outbreaks.

The flu has turned up in several of my classes, but in one, there have been 2 reported cases of the illness formerly known as swine flu. One purported to be confirmed by a doctor, and the other of a student who fell ill immediately after a sibling had been diagnosed by a physician, and with identical symptoms. This reminds me of a funny story.

One of my favorite professors ambled in to class during one of the annual Mumps outbreaks in the dorms of a state university. He said he hadn't been to a doctor yet, but he was displaying all the symptoms of the mumps. He asked the class to decide if he should teach that night. There was a long pause for reflection. I'd just gotten married. The potential offspring topic had been shelved, but I wanted that option left open. The mumps can do mondo-bad things to men after puberty, and I had been 29 for a while already. A male relative lost something supremely near and dear to him...

The teacher asked us to make a decision. Was maintaining the impression that grades or the class were more important than my health expected of a grad. student? Luckily nurse working on a Ph. D. put on their official mien and asked us all if we were insane.

But disasters demand common - sense adjustments on everyone's part.

Monday, 9.21.9 is the anniversary of the big Taiwan earthquake of 1999. It hit at 1:47 am. I couldn't turn off a movie and felt a little guilty for being up so late when it hit. Richter scales as far as California measured it at 7.6 or higher at the epicenter - about 30 miles from my house in the mountains of JuDong. Over 3000 dead. It wasn't the weirdest disaster I've dealt with in a class - but it took the highest human toll. Rolling blackouts and aftershocks for months. I later heard "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire and listened to the words for the first time (lyrics, see video) in a really gritty dive and freaked mildly out. Maybe it was all the candles and flashlights. Maybe it was the way we recognized temblors by the sloshing bottles behind the bar. Betel nut and Whisbih may have been involved.

And don't get me started on SARS. My wedding anniversary is on the hottest day of the Kansas summer because of SARS.

The point:

• stay on top of your student email,
• log in to ANGEL often,
• read your announcements,
• communicate with your classmates.
• Let me know if you have flu-like symptoms - by email or phone, im whatever.

Prepare. If you don't have a home computer but your cell phone is important to you - set up a calling tree. We will adapt.