GWU Tsunami Talks

Elizabeth Chacko, GWU associate professor of geography and international affairs spoke on the affect of the tsunami on development and public health issues during a discussion panel held Tuesday night. The gathering of panel experts from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs was entitled The Asian Tsunami: Political, Economic, and Social Implications. Chacko was the only one of the panel who was in the area of the tsunami at the time it struck. She was concerned with raising awareness about the emotional and psychological repercussions of the tsunami on women. Moderator and dean of the Elliott School, Harry Harding, summed up the situation by first drawing a connection between the night's sparse attendance and the tsunami's drop from the headlines. Harding said that although the problems have just begun the consequences will last for decades.