David Weeks reports, "fortunately the Haitian village of Camp Coq where I have conducted my Global Leadership Program of the Build Haiti Foundation managed not to be damaged that much from the recent Hurricane Irma." He is currently fundraising to muster 72 children who could not afford the cost of a year's education--contact him at weeks@glenelg.org if you would like more information.

Ellen Calmus reported that power and communications were restored in Malinalco though some cell networks did not yet seem to be working. Their area suffered damage to houses, happily most fairly minor--"sadly, it seems there was damage to a number of Malinalco's treasured historic churches, some going back to the 16th century." Ellen herself was across the mountains attending a funeral, and there was damage there as well, "people in shock, yet everybody helping everybody else. Store owners invited me behind their counters to step over broken bottles and debris to use their land lines, a young man helped clear my car of rubble from a collapsed wall, a policeman stopped traffic so I could get out...Isn't it striking how emergencies can bring out the best in people?"

This theme was also emphasized by our classmate Amy Totenberg's daughter Emily Green, reporting from the Mexico City area on NPR that she survived the quake and was able to file her story through the collected, extraordinary kindnesses of many people in the city.