Hasty Burial for the Dead Collides With Tradition Michael Wines, The New York Times (March 24, 2011) Families of the tsunami’s victims faced a mass burial in a seaport town in northeast Japan, where mathematical reality has made cremation impossible. 99%. That is the number which kept going through my head when I saw the [...]
In Haiti, A Proper Burial is in Short Supply Frances Robles, Nadege Charles and Elinor J. Breche, Miami Herald (January 25, 2010) This will be the last post, for a while, on the dead bodies in Haiti. I decided to run this Miami Herald article because it does a good job of summing up the [...]
Haiti’s Many Troubles Keep Bodies Uncounted Simon Romero and Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times (January 21, 2010) Haiti quake toll ‘may be 200,000′ BBC News (January 18, 2010) I have a hunch that for years to come, the final death toll in Haiti will remain unknown. As the tagline for the above New York Times [...]
Infectious Disease Risks from Dead Bodies Following Natural Disasters (pdf) Oliver Morgan, Pan American Journal of Public Health, 2004;15(5):307–12. In the wake of the deaths from the Haiti Earthquate — 200,000 at the most recent estimate — officials are struggling to provide appropriate and respectful body disposal. In an earlier post John mentioned the common [...]
As Haitians Flee, the Dead Go Uncounted Damien Cave, New York Times (January 18, 2010) Last home of country’s most famous families turns from place of respect and mourning into installation of horror Ed Pilkington, The Guardian (January 18, 2010) Following up on yesterday’s Haiti earthquake post, these New York Times and Guardian articles expand [...]