Devastation And Commendation: Waves For Water Responds In The Bahamas

As the death toll in the Bahamas continues to rise and the true nature of the destruction from Hurricane Dorian becomes more clear, Jon Rose and his team at Waves 4 Water are mobilizing a campaign to not only bring relief through providing urgent access to clean water, but also delving much deeper into the disaster. 

When Dorian hit the Bahamas it was a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185mph and gusts up to 220mph. A extremely slow moving storm, the hurricane sat and spun over the islands for the better part of two days. Current news reports indicate that over 70,000 people on the two northern islands have been left homeless. The death toll–at the time of writing–stands at 43, but it is expected to rise dramatically as hundreds of people remain missing. 

The Waves For Water team has launched both a fundraising campaign and the wheels are already in motion to get to the disaster zone. They will be “basing and operating out of a 60ft Cat,” they report via Instagram. 

“While our primary focus is always on proving access to clean water, a huge part of our initial strike will also include damage/situation assessments, other essential supply distribution, search and rescue, and transportation.”

Waves For Water’s Bahamas campaign has already raised over $25,000 of their $30,000. Initially, funds will go towards water filtration systems.

“Our initial goal, as with any relief initiative, is to mitigate suffering by providing victims with access to safe water through the strategic implementation of water filtration systems, crucial in preventing the spread of waterborne illnesses,” they report on their website. “Our goal is to get as many clean water filtration systems on the ground as possible. This will all depend on the support that follows our initial launch this coming week. Then, after we put boots on the ground and establish our local networks, we intend to implement long-term programs that can be managed and built-upon at the local level.”

Our thoughts are with all of the people affected by Hurricane Dorian. Go to WavesForWater.org to learn more and support their efforts.