Led by the SIMA Humanitarian Fund, the surf industry is coming together to help the victims Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. All funds will be routed to Waves For Water, who is on the ground in the Bahamas working to secure access to clean drinking water through the strategic implementation of water filtration systems, crucial in preventing the spread of waterborne illnesses.
Screen Shot 2019 09 09 at 1.28.23 PM“The Bahamas represents an important region to the surf industry, and the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Dorian is unprecedented,” said Dylan Slater, President of the SIMA Humanitarian Fund. “I believe it’s our duty to come together as an industry and human beings to support the critical work being done by Waves For Water in supporting all those in dire need of clean drinking water.”
SIMA members, industry brands, surf industry employees and vendors are encouraged to join together to donate under this appeal via a donation page set up by the SIMA Humanitarian Fund here. In order to expedite funds to Waves For Water, the deadline to donate is 5 pm PDT, Friday, September 13, 2019.
“After responding to over 25 disasters in the last 10 years, I can say with a heavy heart that the impact Dorian has had on the Bahamas is as bad as I’ve ever seen – if not the worst,” said Waves For Water founder Jon Rose, who is on the ground in the Virgin Islands. “Because of the immediate instability down there and the unique logistical challenges that come from it being a spread out, low-lying island chain, we are deploying members from our veteran disaster response team, Clean Water Corps, to
lead the initial push.”
“The vast training of our CWC team in strategy, tactics and execution has transformed our organization—particularly our disaster relief programs. Though this hurricane disaster is as bad as it gets, I’ve never felt more confident in our ability to adapt and adjust around the challenges ahead, while attacking the clean water needs head on.”
The water filters deployed by Waves For Water can serve clean drinking water for 100 people per day and each system can filter 1 million gallons of clean drinking water in its lifetime. Waves for Water currently has a team of military veterans on the ground in the Bahamas with a supply of 200 filters. The team will not only train victims of disaster on how to access clean water during an emergency but they also participate in search and rescue operations, acquisition of life-saving supplies, and the general dirty labor involved in responding to a disaster.
xx
