When the worst happens, when a colleague or one of their family has a serious mental health episode, or God forbid commits suicide; when a workplace injury or fatality triggers inspections and recriminations; when you or your employees are suddenly hyper sensitive to everything except their jobs; when you suspect a family member or employee is abusing drugs either Rx or illicit or alcohol to manage their stress; – it sets in motion a whole range of compliance and reporting and all at the time you and your employees and their families are suffering or grieving. 

And we are seeking your help to bring in speakers from Australia

WasteWater Education is now an internationally based education and outreach organization – but fulfilling all the demands for our services is expensive. This Giving Tuesday, and through the end of December, will you help support our WWETT2026 priority sessions – Creating a Culture of Mental Health In The Workplace?

You can see the WWETT2026 Track sessions here.

And please – consider making a donation here.

This session details how to get your response in place and what you may have to deal with that may never have crossed your mind. 

Mental illness is real and never something to be ashamed of or hushed up. If you suspect something SAY something. Be the open mind, the willing listener, the shoulder to lean on and you might just be the one who pulls everyone through.

In short – something like this WILL happen to you or an employee, and when it does is no time to figure out how to deal with it. What strategies for coping can you prepare for, what policies can you have in place to build recovery before it festers and becomes something far worse.

URGENT APPEAL: SUPPORT FOR JAMAICA WATER SECTOR 

RECOVERY AFTER HURRICANE MELISSA

Dear Colleagues,

Hurricane Melissa brought unprecedented devastation to Jamaica and impacted other Caribbean countries as well. Communities are without power, critical infrastructure is severely damaged, and safe drinking water and sanitation services are disrupted across much of the island. It has been called the storm of the century with winds reaching 300 kilometers per hour. Operators Without Borders (OWB) is part of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Caribbean Group that is leading a coordinated response within the auspices of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). Potentially OWB may deploy volunteers as early as this week. 

Our immediate mission is to assess the condition of Jamaica’s water and wastewater utilities and to coordinate teams of skilled volunteers to help restore essential services as quickly as possible. OWB is the only registered charity in the world with a sole mandate to assist water utilities in rebuilding after disasters and to provide free, on-the-ground capacity-building and technical support. Our teams have responded to hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods across the Caribbean and Latin America, working directly with local operators to get water flowing again and to strengthen system resilience for the future. Each volunteer deployment costs approximately $2,000 to $2,500 (USD), covering travel, insurance, and basic logistics. If the damage is as extensive as anticipated, we will need to mobilize multiple teams over the coming weeks.

We are asking for your support, through a direct, tax deductible, financial contribution or sponsorship of volunteer deployments. Every dollar makes a tangible difference in restoring safe water to families, hospitals, and schools. Our collective expertise as operators and water professionals has the power to restore stability and hope. Together, we can ensure that Jamaica’s water utilities, and the communities they serve, recover faster and stronger. These are our utility brothers and sisters many whom OWB trained in Incident Command System Disaster Management (please see photo below). Please help to whatever level you are able. Thank you for standing with us as we bring water back to those who need it most.

For further information please contact:

info@operatorswithoutborders.org

www.operatorswithoutborders.org

With appreciation and urgency,

The Operators Without Borders Team

Use our PROMO CODE PRWE50125

And visit us at BOOTH 1110!!

Join us next month in Indianapolis for the the largest event for the wastewater and environmental services community.

Use our PROMO CODE PRWE50125 for a DISCOUNT on Registration!

Then check out our Monday and Tuesday education Tracks!

Monday: Wastewater Education 501c3 – Dealing with Bad Situations and Recovering from Breakdowns and Disasters

Tuesday: Wastewater Education 501c3 – How to Fix that ATU Yourself and When to Call in an Expert

The WWETT Show brings together 12,000 wastewater and environmental service professionals for an unmatched accredited educational program, a full slate of live demos, an array of networking opportunities and an extensive expo floor where buyers and sellers come together to see and experience the latest product innovations and technology.

WasteWater Education has a full conference slate of day long education sessions and workshops – see Link: https://utm.io/uhDrF

And have this registration discount code on us!! See you in Indy!