After SuperStorm Sandy hit our local beaches and the surrounding tri-state area countless efforts and initiatives by local and international organizations and companies reached out offering food, supplies, fuel, time and money to not only help clean up the destruction but also rebuild a stronger community than we already had. NYSEA partnered with Surf For all to start the NY BEACH RELIEF FUND.
Jon Rose and Waves For Water were one of those organizations who were on the front lines right away after Sandy to help our communities and now they are using their resources to help after Hurricane Irma left hundred of thousands devastated.
Please visit their page to see how you can help: http://www.wavesforwater.org/project/hurricaneirmareliefinitiative
Taken from their website:
“Together with colleagues from the region, that have become friends over the years, we are launching an emergency response initiative to provide access to clean drinking water – focusing primarily on the Virgin Islands and the French Caribbean, first.
Because we understand that the first few weeks are crucial in stemming the spread of waterborne diseases and life threatening dehydration, we plan to launch our response in three phases:
1. The first phase is designed to mitigate the immediate suffering of the most impacted families, by implementing portable water filtration systems in communities (both to shelters and residences still left standing) living at or below the poverty line. These are communities that already needed our program prior to any disaster, making them the least equipped to handle a catastrophe, such as Irma. We have seen this scenario many times in Haiti, most recently with Hurricane Matthew last year, and it is the little underserved “forgotten” communities that really feel the worst of what these events have to offer.
2. After we have addressed the immediate need for clean water, phase two will serve to address breakdowns in water infrastructure through the creation of large and centrally-located water depots. These are big systems that can serve entire communities, rather than just one household.
3. The third phase will analyze data that has been compiled throughout the first two phases, allowing us to design and implement long-term mechanisms to change the way water is accessed for years to come – such as rainwater harvesting systems, borehole wells, and/or desalinization systems.
One of our long time advocates and trusted regional Irma Relief team member, Ben Bourgeois, says,“I have experienced first hand how the Waves For Water organization goes about helping those in need with access to clean water. It is a great place to be able to give back to places that have given me so much throughout my career. I look forward to working on more projects with Waves For Water in the future. I know that Jon always has a solid plan. His experience and resources are key.”
Together with our (first phase) local team, made up of Caribbean veterans/residents – Ben Bourgeois, Jimmy Wilson, Otto Flores, Dylan Graves, and (W4W Haiti Country Director) Fritz Pierre-Louis, we at Waves For Water are humbly asking you for whatever support you can give so we can execute and scale the plan listed above. As always, we are grateful to all of you who have supported us through the years and are honored to be surrounded by a network that is as devoted to helping people, as we are.
Thank you,
Jon Rose & the W4W Irma Relief Team”