Tahiti Flooding Response

“They got absolutely smashed.”

On Monday, May 1st, a tsunami-like flash flood surge came down the iconic surf town of Teahupoo’s usually calm river. The flash flood destroyed and damaged numerous houses, washed cars and appliances out into the pass, and left Teahupoo without power.

Often with disasters like this we at Waves For Water are on the ground providing immediate access to clean water. In this case a well coordinated response by the local surf community and the local authorities has already brought access to clean water and power back to those that need it, but there are still many other issues left to address. As we’ve done with select natural disaster events in the past, we’ve decided to step up and go beyond our normal scope of work—leveraging our platform and network to help raise funds for a local Teahupoo based team that is helping families rebuild their lives from scratch.

With the “Phase 1” disaster response and essential services already complete, we are starting this response with a “Phase 2” approach. In this phase our local team will focus on the repair of damaged homes and community buildings, the replacement of essential household items, with an overall goal of restoring a bit of normalcy back into this beloved community.

If this catastrophe resonates with you as much as it does with us, please consider donating to our efforts… and if that’s not a viable option, just helping us spread the word is incredibly valuable too.

On behalf of the entire Waves For Water team, thank you!