Alison Thompson

Deployments after disasters have included search and rescue, medical team support, telehealth and supplies and logistics teams. Support teams have provided access to food and medical supplies, wi-fi, solar power, solar lights and water filtration. Command and long-term support have been provided when necessary. Deployments have occurred following Hurricane Ian (2022), Hurricane Fiona (2022), the Kentucky tornado outbreak (2021), Hurricane Ida (2021), Haiti Earthquake (2021), Hurricane Laura (2020), Australian brushfires (2019-2020), Hurricane Dorian (2019), Hurricane Michael (2018), Hurricane Florence (2018), Hurricane Maria ( 2017), Hurricane Harvey (2017), Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Matthew (2016), Haiti Earthquake (2010), Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (2004) and Hurricane Katrina (2005).

Refugee support is an important mission for Thompson. Third Wave volunteers have responded to global crises and focused upon caring for the needs of the displaced and disenfranchised. They worked on the island of Lesvos, Greece, the epicenter of the Syrian refugee crisis.[14][15][16] In addition to caring for immediate medical needs, they developed a large network of volunteers who supported and coordinated direct aid for the refugees. Thompson and her teams have distributed over 100,000 solar lights Similar support has been provided to Iraq and Afghan war refugees and for individuals in Venezuela.[17]

Third Wave Volunteers assist community and governmental leaders in developing long-term sustainability projects and collaborative relationships, and building resiliency. One example occurred following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, when Thompson co-founded CTEC, Sri Lanka’s first Community Tsunami Early-warning Center.[18]

Many disasters have necessitated long term deployments. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Thompson, Sean Penn, and 10 doctors managed a 75,000-person IDP camp and field hospital. Third Wave Volunteers spent a year in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria (2017). They conducted Disaster Zone assessments and educated and supported local community leaders, building resiliency for future natural disasters. One hundred and three containers of aid were delivered, door-to-door. This included tens of thousands of solar lights and water filtration units.[19][20] In response to Hurricane Dorian, the worst natural disaster to strike the Bahamas in recorded history, 2,500 volunteers deployed in Miami and to the islands. Third Wave Volunteers coordinated 220 volunteer flights, distributed 33 containers of supplies (over 800,000 pounds) on Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, and cleared 50 miles of road on Grand Bahama. Volunteers coordinated the Bahama Interfaith Alliance, comprising over fifty churches, planned and held sixteen Community Resilience Fairs and helped launch eight long term sustainable projects as part of the Bahamas Resilience and Regeneration Initiative.[13]

During the pandemic, Thompson and Third Wave volunteers, known collectively as "Women in White", delivered over 2 million N95 masks to all 50 states, underserved communities, tribal nations, nursing homes, prisons, first responders and to Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Peru, and Haiti.[21]

Third Wave Volunteers immediately responded to the crisis in Ukraine as Russia attacked in 2022.[22] Thompson and her volunteers made nine trips over the course of a year to Ukraine to teach TCCCC combat medics to Ukrainian civilians and soldiers, help evacuate orphans from the country, and deliver food, tourniquets and other medical supplies to the recaptured villages on the front lines of the war.[23][12]

In 2017, Thompson and Third Wave co-founded the Community Emergency Operations Center in Miami (CEOC), a collaboration of 160 organizations. In addition to providing various aid to the community, CERT emergency response training is provided to increase self-protection skills and to increase community readiness to assist after a disaster.[24]