10/07/09
Text: Andreas Herr, Jon Rose
Photographers: Jon Rose
Our friend Jon Rose—surfer, photographer, journeyman—was in Indonesia when the big one hit on September 30th. While it's sometimes easy to separate out things that happen on the other side of the world from our life back home, it's always helps put things in perspective when the story is told through the eyes of someone you know. As a good friend of Anthem, consider Jon your friend as well.
—By Jon Rose
I was in Indonesia at the epicenter of the massive earthquake that just hit Padang. I was supposed to leave the area the following day to work on a humanitarian project in Bali. The project consisted of the education and demonstration of rain catching & water filtration technology to villages in need. The things I saw on the ground after the quake were absolutely devastating.
Because of my scheduled Bali project, I had 10 “Just Water” ceramic drip water filters on me and was able to link up with local indonesian Red Cross stations. I demonstrated how to set up the filters etc.. Suffering from a no electricity, water or resources, they were beside themselves... now they would have clean water to drink and more importantly, to clean/treat the wounded victims with.
As far as I could see, I was the only western person in the area. It was so soon after the quake that international relief didn't show up for a day or two after.
The tragedy I encountered and the things I was able to accomplish in Padang have been nothing short of life changing. I'm still processing.
My heart goes out to the victims over there and if you’re reading this then I ask you to send them your love as well. I am dedicating myself to this cause and if you are interested in helping... in any way... PLEASE do so!! You can do as little or as much as you want, up to you... everything helps.
To help please contact:
Thanks, Jon Rose
