Indonesia Relief

New post today on the Orange County Register blog, OC surfers bring clean water to devastated regions, about Jon Rose, Greg Long, and the efforts of Waves For Water and Save the Waves to bring clean water to Sumatra, Chile and Haiti.

When big-wave surfer Greg Long got a first-hand glimpse of the coastal region of Chile, he was heartbroken.

Greg Long creates a water purifier in Chile. Photo courtesy of Philip Muller.

Here was a land he had become so fond of, not just because of the world-class waves, but also because of the kind-hearted people he’s encountered on his many trips to the coastal regions.

But after the 8.8 earthquake hit late February, and a tsunami crashed upon the shore, structures and buildings were wiped out, like they had never existed. Schools crumbled and collapsed. Hundreds of thousands were without homes. Read More

Jon Rose, of Waves For Water, bringing clean water to Haiti

If you recall previous stories I’ve written, Rose was near Sumatra when a 7.9 earthquake hit last September. He rushed to the crumbled city with 10 filters he had in a bag – in the early hours before international relief had even showed up – to get clean water to the Red Cross.

Shortly after, the disaster in Haiti hit. Rose soon found himself in Haiti with financial backing from actor Sean Penn, who funded an effort to bring 4,000 of the ceramic filters to Haiti, providing clean water for about 40,000 people. Read More