WNC professor volunteers in the Bahamas recovery after Hurricane Dorian

Why would someone leave a comfortable life and go to a disaster zone?

“Well, it is a good question! Maybe one of the answers is that what keeps my life comfortable, is knowing that when I have the opportunity to help others, I will do it. If I had not gone, I think I would not have felt comfortable with my life, sitting down and doing nothing” Lior Singer answered.

Lior Singer works for the state of Nevada as an engineer, and in his spare time he teaches Engineering classes at Western Nevada College in Carson City. He left for the Bahamas for a few weeks in order to assist with the drinking water crisis that resulted from Hurricane Dorian.

Singer teaches an Engineering Design Process course. During the semester students learn how to solve problems using engineering design processes. “The hurricane in the Bahamas gave us plenty of problems to tackle, most of them related to water, power, housing and medical needs. The following is a Q and A. Photos are by Lior Singer.

What did you do in the Bahamas?

I went there as a water engineer, my goal was to help residents gain access to potable water, in the short term and long term. The Hurricane created a thirty-foot flood of ocean water in some of the islands. Many of these islands already had a very small water aquifers. Since the hurricane, these communities have lost all of their portable water because of high salinity in the available water. Without an active solution, it would take up to thirty years to recover.

How did you solve the problem?

I used the same approach that I teach my students. First, you seek to understand the problem better, observe what exists and try to understand the concerns of the stakeholders. In this case, after examining the situation, we found a local industry that could desalinate water.

We post treated the water to meet potable water standards, and got the water certified by the government. We also opened water delivery station for the public to get potable water for the short term. For the long term, we performed a hydrological study to better understand the condition of the aquifer. We provided recommendations to the local water company about how to best manage the water system in order to solve the crisis in a couple of months and not many years.

What is most memorable about your volunteer work in the Bahamas?

The impact of the disaster is unbelievable. On one side, it is beautiful place with amazing tourism sites, on the other hand the destruction is total. For example, the island Abaco, the largest city, Marsh Harbor, is completely demolished, not even one building is standing in most of the city. The smell of death is everywhere and you can’t avoid it.

Who did you work with?

I volunteered through an organization called IsraAid, but there are dozens of international organizations in there. It is amazing to see how the international community is engaged, with representatives from every field. The community received assistance in the areas of water, food, power, medical, education, housing. The local government and the water companies were working hand in hand with the NGOs.

How did you manage to leave your work and your family for so long?

Thanks to the amazing support of the community we live in. My wonderful wife gave me the green light because she knows how important it is for me to serve. My state job supported me and approved me for taking my vacation time in although I needed to leave on short notice. I am very thankful for other professors who substituted for me, and the interesting guest speakers who came and shared their knowledge with my students.

What message would you like to share with your students and other professionals?

Serve the ones who need you the most. I keep telling my students to find professional careers where they will have the most impact on society and their communities. Now it was my time to go and serve. I hope any engineer, doctor, lawyer or even a clown, will go lend a han in the next international crisis. The world should know that there are good people, who care, living in Carson City.