First-Hand Account From Asian Quake Zone
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JON ROSE By Jon Rose
Most of you have probably heard by now that I was in Indonesia at the epicenter of the massive earthquake that just hit Padang.
The things I saw during my time there were absolutely devastating.
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 range of 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 I ask you to send them your love as well. am determined to help this cause even further now that I am home and if you are interested in helping in any way please do so! Everything helps.
To help please contact: Surf Aid International, www.surfaidinternational. org, Red Cross, www.redcross.org.
Jon Rose teaching Red Cross workers in Padang how to use a water filtration device. Utilities were destroyed along with structures by the quake. Just because the news isn’t covering it anymore doesn’t mean it’s over. In fact, the conditions are getting worse. People are dying every day and will continue to do so until the get more help.
Here is an excerpt of by my experience from ground zero of the Padang earthquake:
“I was traveling throughout Indonesia surfing and doing humanitarian work. My father, Jack, has an existing water related nonprofit called www.raincatcher. org. A few months ago he and I launched a sister foundation, Waves For Water, to create a platform for the surf community to help bring clean water to third world villages around the world. Our infrastructure is built on educating and demonstrating two main topics: catching rain water and water filtration systems.
The Bali project was going to be my first Waves For Water mission. Then the quake hit. When it happened, I was on the boat anchored at a fun little lefthander. A friend and I felt the trembling but were unsure if it was just some random boat or ocean movement. We thought nothing of it until our captain heard later that night that a massive earthquake hit Padang. As we got closer to Padang our captain kept getting more and more updates on how catastrophic the damages actually were. I know this is when it all really started to sink in for myself and the other passengers. Anyone who has ever done a boat trip out there knows that because you are pretty much cut off from the rest of the world it can really feel as if you are living in a little bubble of surf bliss.
We anchored directly off of Padang and with a clear view of the city, we were able to see some of the wreckage. We were pretty far away but could tell that some of the buildings were slanted or slightly off in some way.
We got word that there were no flights operating out of Padang Airport, that 80% of structures were damaged, and there was no electricity. At this point, everyone on the boat had one main concern – getting home!
There was a defining moment for me. I realized that I had 10 ceramic water filters in my bag that I had planned on using for my upcoming Bali trip. My purpose had changed in a split second. I was very aware of the significant impact my filters could have in this dire situation and therefore my mission was set. I spoke to the fellas on the boat, told them that I was going into Padang to try and somehow coordinate with a relief team, and get the filters in place.
Nothing had prepared me for the type of total and complete devastation I was about to encounter.
The drive through Padang to the Red Cross station felt like something out of a battle scene in a Terminator movie. Smoke and ruble everywhere, people yelling… and some people standing, smoking their cigarettes, frozen in a state of shock. It was so soon after the quake that it seemed there was no real understanding of what happened or more importantly, what to do. Everyone just looked helpless. Some of the buildings were completely leveled into a pile of concrete and rubble; others, barely standing, were leaning to one side like some messed up version of Italy’s leaning tower of Piza. One of the common hotels that surfers stay in, Hotel Bumiminang, had sections of wall missing and giant floor-wide cracks that allowed you to see directly into various rooms.”
Laguna Beach resident and professional surfer, Jon Rose, was on a surfing trip in Indonesia during the recent earthquake.
