Photo Essay: On the Ground with Waves For Water in the Philippines

While the Philippine Islands were being struck by Super Typhoon Haiyan’s wrath, Jon Rose, Founder of Waves For Water, was already hatching his plan to help.

W4W began work in the Philippines in response to Typhoon Haiyan and continues to support areas with water shortages. 

In 2013, the Philippines was hit by one of the most devastating typhoons ever recorded: Typhoon Haiyan. The natural disaster affected people throughout Southeast Asia and killed 6,300 people in the Philippines alone. Throughout the country, over 4.3 million people were affected. One major impact of the typhoon was its obstruction of access to clean water. 

To address this problem, Jon Rose, founder of Waves for Water (W4W), arrived in the Philippines ready to distribute his organization’s water filters among “forgotten pockets,” communities that were not “the focal point of major relief efforts.” His method of distribution and relief relied on the “train-the trainer, local-based model” in which W4W organizers “empower” and “facilitate” for local people rather than decide “who gets what, when, where and how.” Two years after the typhoon, W4W established an office in the Philippines, where it is currently registered as a non-profit organization. Since 2015, W4W has built 66 rainwater catchment systems and provided over a million Filipinos with access to clean water. In December of 2021, the organization helped to address the devastation caused by Hurricane Odette in Siargao, Philippines through a partnership with Billabong. Currently, W4W is providing aid for those impacted by Tropical Depression Agaton, which has displaced 1.9 million people in Visayas and Mindanao, Philippines. You can contribute to this specific effort here. 

W4W’s humanitarian efforts are not limited to the Philippines. Since its inception in 2009, the organization has made an impact in 44 countries, including Mozambique, Ecuador, Sierra Leone and Chile, and has helped 3.75 million people gain reliable access to clean drinking water. W4W currently has 24r active programs helping to address water access issues. These programs seek to provide aid to citizens of Ukraine, Australia, Haiti and Guatemala. You can learn more and help out here.

---

Jon Rose

As a pro surfer of 13 years, Jon Rose traveled the world in pursuit of perfect waves. It was this passion that led him to development of Waves for Water in 2009. He hopes to see W4W enlist and empower travers to help solve the world water crisis.

East Asia Braces Itself as the 2020 Typhoon Season Begins

Southeast Asia is known for its tropical climate and distinct rainy, or monsoon, season. This sort of climate brings about an annual typhoon season. Typhoons are mature, tropical cyclones that mostly occur in the Pacific Ocean. They carry with them heavy winds, rain and tornadoes that rip through villages and beaches. These storms have the potential to be devastating, a fact confirmed by history several times over.

Thailand

While Thailand is not hit with as much force as its southern neighbors, the typhoon season is still clear. From September through November, the country is prone to typhoons with the potential to change the country’s landscape and infrastructure. 

In 2006, Typhoon Xangsane made landfall in the Philippines and devastated its way across Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. It wiped out 810 square miles of farmland across Thailand and caused 47 deaths. The storm brought with it strong winds, landslides and torrential rain that wiped out villages and caused hundreds of families to become homeless. 

Fortunately for Thailand, most storms are not nearly as devastating as Xangsane. Monsoons can be counted on, though, to bring about tropical storms each year. 

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia 

These three Southeast Asian countries feel the brunt of two different sets of cyclones. Typhoons move in from the northern Pacific, while tropical cyclones make landfall from the south. While safety measures are in place, such as shelters, help lines and emergency services, ultimately their geographic location leaves them vulnerable to Mother Nature’s worst.

In 2017, Vietnam experienced its deadliest typhoon since 2001. Dubbed Typhoon Damrey, the storm originated in the Philippines’ Visayan archipelago toward the end of the rainy season and killed at least 123 people and over 600 injured. The severe flooding and winds swept away anything that was not secured to the ground and left an estimated $1 billion in damages across Vietnam. Since then, the country has taken measures to ensure that it has a better communication system for its citizens to learn about the threat of storms as they arise. 

Korea 

Farther north, the Korean Peninsula sits in a spot not nearly as impacted by typhoon season as countries in Southeast Asia. While the peninsula experiences jangma, or the rainy season, its normal extent is heavy rains that inconvenience residents. This shows just how quickly tropical storms lose power as they move inland; they dissipate soon after doing so. 

A recent exception was Typhoon Hagupit, which made landfall in August. The Category 1 typhoon traveled north from the Philippines to China before impacting Korea as a subtropical storm. South Korea reported 15 deaths along with considerable property damage from the storm. 

The western Pacific typically sees more tropical storms than anywhere else in the world. About one-third of the world’s natural disasters occur in the region, and the numbers only seem to increase each year. These storms have caused countries to increase safety measures, focus on disaster communication, develop evacuation measures and create safe spots in public areas. The countries are well-known among visitors, but during the rainy season, the more experienced traveler might count these locations out.

---

Elizabeth Misnick

Elizabeth is a Professional Writing and Rhetoric major at Baylor University. She grew up in a military family and lived in Europe for almost half her life, traveling and living in different countries. She hopes to continue writing professionally throughout her career and publish her writing in the future.