NEI Nuclear Notes

The USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered supercarrier, steamed over to Haiti last week. It is providing considerable help: The Vinson had arrived to Haiti loaded with thousands of bottles of water and energy drinks, 8,000 sheets and hundreds of camp beds. And: It also brought equipment to purify 100,00 gallons of water a day, by reverse osmosis. (Our friends over at Pro-Nuclear Democrats have an excellent post about how it does the desalination.) And, even better: Since its arrival Friday, the USS Carl Vinson has treated 10 patients -- three Americans and seven Haitians. One patient, a 12-year-old Haitian girl, even managed to receive brain surgery aboard, carried out by American neurosurgeon and CNN medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, who was in Port-au-Prince to report on the humanitarian catastrophe. Now, the USS Carl Vinson apparently cannot open itself as a hospital boat – it’s mission here is to deliver goods - but it’s doing what it can. The US...