"Do not use water until further notice..."

You may have heard that here in Charleston, West Virginia, we experienced a major chemical spill into our water supply.

We were initially told, “Oh it’s no big deal. Don’t worry. Nothing to see here.” But then a couple hours later the message had changed. The gist? “Oops our bad. Yes this stuff is toxic but we’re not sure how toxic. We don’t know how much of it is in your water or how long it will take to get out of your water. Until then, don’t drink it. Don’t bathe in it. Don’t brush your teeth with it. Don’t wash your clothes with it. Don’t stare at it. Don’t mock it. Don’t acknowledge its existence.”

In the meantime, our entire city—the capital of our state, its biggest population center, home to about 250,000 souls—smells of funky licorice. Every restaurant in town is closed. Homeless shelters can’t serve meals because they can’t wash their dishes, let alone cook.

Needless to say, it’s been an interesting week, one in which I’m searching for perspective. It should be easy to find. I’ve visited Haiti the past three years (check out more about those trips here, here, here and here), a country whose water security is literally a matter of life and death. Indeed, some 9,000 people have died as a result of a cholera outbreak there, an outbreak linked to poor sanitation (and malfeasance by the United Nations, best chronicled by journalist Jonathan Katz. But that’s a story for another post.)

The fact is, 783 million people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water.

So, no, this isn’t a particularly great time to be in West Virginia. It’s a little stressful. And, yes, a little scary. But in a few weeks this will all be a memory. That’s a luxury 783 million other people don’t have.