Editorial Content for The Third Wave
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
If Alison Thompson has a mantra, surely it is "You can count on me. I'll help." Growing up at the edge of the Australian bush, Thompson often accompanied her parents, a nurse and a preacher, on their humanitarian missions. Her adventuresome spirit and willingness to help would later become a way of life for her. She moved to New York City and worked in various capacities --- as an investment banker, a math teacher and a filmmaker.
"The author's courage, dedication and unflagging willingness to help wherever and whenever is an inspiration."
Thompson's life-changing journey began on September 11, 2001, when she rollerbladed toward Ground Zero. That day she gave basic first aid and encouragement, and spent eight months immersed in the rescue/recovery/volunteer efforts there. Her only credential was her willingness to help. At Ground Zero she overcame her fear of death.
Her next humanitarian adventure began when she and her boyfriend, Oscar, left New York City with $300 and a few medical supplies to spend two weeks assisting tsunami victims in the remote village of Piraliya in Sri Lanka. They ended up staying 14 months, assembling a ragtag team of volunteers and unofficially began helping. The task was monumental. Potable water, food, emergency medical care, and basic shelter were just the absolute essentials needed. Thompson sought out people who could help, and her group raised funds and begged for supplies. The humanitarian efforts produced an early warning tsunami system and the rebuilding of a school. Thompson made sure the video camera was filming whenever possible, and the edited result of hundreds of hours of tape created The Third Wave, her important documentary about the tsunami and the relief efforts.
In 2010, the earthquake in Haiti caused a massive loss of life and destruction. Once again Thompson was on the front lines. Her impressive documentary had created a lot of useful publicity. Now she had connections, people like actor and activist Sean Penn, with whom she came to work. With funding and other important resources available, Thompson, Penn and their team helped build and run a camp for displaced persons, as well as a much-needed hospital.
The author's courage, dedication and unflagging willingness to help wherever and whenever is an inspiration. She heartily encourages us to help in any way we can. As she well knows, the smallest act of assistance, multiplied and repeated many times over, can truly make a difference in the lives of others.
Promo
Filmmaker Alison Thompson provides an invaluable inside glimpse into what really happens on the ground after a disaster --- and a road map for what anyone can do to help.
About the Book
Alison Thompson, a filmmaker living in New York City, was enjoying Christmas with her boyfriend in 2004 when she saw the news reports online: a 9.3 magnitude earthquake had struck the sea near Indonesia, triggering a massive tsunami that hit much of southern Asia. As she watched the death toll climb, Thompson had one thought: She had to go help. A few years earlier, she had spent eight months volunteering at Ground Zero after 9/11. She’d learned then that when disaster strikes, it’s not just the firemen and Red Cross who are needed—every single person can make a difference.
With $300 in cash, some basic medical supplies, and a vague idea that she’d go wherever she was needed, Thompson headed to Sri Lanka. Along with a small team of volunteers, she settled in a coastal town that had been hit especially hard and began tending to people’s injuries, giving out food and water, playing games with the children, collecting dead bodies, and helping rebuild the local school and homes that had been destroyed. Thompson had intended to stay for two weeks; she ended up staying for fourteen months. She and her team helped start new businesses and set up the first tsunami early-warning center in Sri Lanka, which continues to save lives today.
The Third Wave tells the inspiring story of how volunteering changed Thompson’s life. It begins with her first real introduction to disaster relief after 9/11 and ends with her more recent efforts in Haiti, where she has helped create and run, with Sean Penn, an internally-displaced-person camp and field hospital for more than 65,000 Haitians who lost their homes in the 2010 earthquake. In The Third Wave, Thompson provides an invaluable inside glimpse into what really happens on the ground after a disaster—and a road map for what anyone can do to help. As Alison Thompson shows, with some resilience, a healthy sense of humor, and the desire to make a difference, we all have what it takes to change the world for the better.
