Document text
43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 3, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 3, 2005 Tim Johnson hands a bag of rice to an Indian woman who lost her home during the tsunami of Dec. 26. The Applegate man went to India and Sri Lanka in February to guide donations from Medford Rogue Rotary to needy people. Lessons learned from survivors Applegate man brings relief to tsunami area based on specific need By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Tim Johnson thinks the world can use at least one more aid organization. The Applegate man created Oregon World Relief after spending two weeks in tsunami-ravaged communities in India and Sri Lanka. He says large international relief agencies do good work, but tiny organizations can sometimes accomplish things that large ones cannot. "There is a need, a focused need, for small groups that can be a conduit to make certain efforts happen quickly without a lot of bureaucracy," he said. Johnson’s visit to Asia as a representative of Medford Rogue Rotary prompted him to seek a way to get money directly to people he met in several villages. "They did not want charity," he said. "They wanted to get back to work." Advertisement Donations from the Medford club were used to buy new boats for fishermen who lost theirs when the wall of water struck. The fishermen asked for lightweight catamarans that they could row instead of motorboats that would require expensive diesel fuel. Each boat costs just $730, Johnson said, and will support two families. "They’ll be hitting the water any day," he said. Rotary donations from Southern Oregon also bought rice and portable kerosene cook stoves for people who lost their homes. Johnson’s face is a familiar one to many Applegate Valley residents. He sells real estate and serves as a volunteer firefighter with Jackson County Fire District 9. In 2003 he published "Answers: A User’s Guide to Retirement." He said the tsunami changed survivors’ lives in many subtle ways that have received little coverage from the media. Saltwater, for example, has contaminated many coastal freshwater lagoons that were previously used to grow rice, which has serious implications for the region’s ability to feed itself. Saltwater also infiltrated many of the drinking-water wells, rendering them unusable at least for the short term. The waves changed the seafloor as they rushed ashore and then receded. Rubble and debris were carried out to sea (some of it more than 10 miles) and sank, fundamentally rearranging the ocean bottom. Fishermen no longer know where they can drag their nets without hanging up on new obstacles. Closer to shore, the debris created hazardous currents where none existed before. "The complexity of the need is fascinating," he said. Johnson said enough infrastructure remains in India and Sri Lanka, despite the destruction, to get relief funds to the people who need them. In Sri Lanka, the rebuilding campaign provides an opportunity to show how people from several religious traditions can work together. "There are four of the world’s major religions (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism) all in the same place," he said. "I know firsthand we can make life better for them." How to help Tim Johnson has acquired nonprofit status in Oregon for Oregon World Relief and is seeking federal designation as a nonprofit organization under section 501 c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to make contributions tax deductible. To learn more about Johnson’s project, visit the Web site at: www.oregonworldrelief.com . Contributions may be sent to: Oregon World Relief, 181 Upper Applegate Road, PMB 275, Jacksonville, OR 97530. Johnson can be reached at: [email protected] Reach reporter Bill Kettlerat 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s