Louisville, KY – In order to combat the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico caused by the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Louisville-based organization WaterStep and the National Puerto Rico Leadership Council Education Fund have joined forces to install water purification units in all 78 Puerto Rican municipalities.
The first 22 water purification kits were set to be deployed to Puerto Rico this week to provide safe drinking water and disinfectant to those affected by Hurricane Maria, WaterStep said in a news release. The kits were scheduled to be transported by truck to Fort Peirce, Fla., and then on to San Juan, Puerto Rico, via Missionary Flights International on Oct.10.
The NPRLCEF is coordinating training seminars where emergency response workers will gather to learn how to install and operate the equipment. A five-person team from WaterStep, including founder and chief executive officer Mark Hogg, conducted the training sessions. Once trained, the emergency response workers will be given a kit to distribute throughout the hurricane affected communities.
Another Louisville-based organization, Love the Hungry, is supporting this effort by sending over 7,000 nutrient-rich meals and two energy-efficient rocket stoves to feed the response workers, volunteers, and translators during the training.
Each WaterStep kit contains disaster-tested equipment that can provide thousands of gallons of safe drinking water each day. The kits include, among other items, a hard case box and bag, a portable bleach maker (an award-winning device that produces medical strength disinfectant used to sanitize clinics, kitchens and shelters), a solar panel that also serves as a cellphone charging station), an M-100 chlorine generator to produce safe drinking water, a 500-gallon bladder tank for fast initial storage and a guzzler pump to pump water into storage tanks.
Using a process called electrolysis, the portable bleach maker is powered by salt and a 12-volt car battery (or solar panel) and produces bleach at a 0.5 per cent concentration, which is the level recommended by the World Health Organization for medical disinfection.
Using a process called electrolysis, the chlorine generator is powered by salt and a 12-volt car battery (or solar panel) and produces chlorine gas which kills over 99.9 per cent of waterborne pathogens.
WaterStep has created and deployed affordable, effective and sustainable safe water and sanitation solutions in various international disasters since 2009.
WaterStep’s aid for Puerto Rice is funded by an $81,000 grant from GE Appliances – a Haier company. The funding covers the cost of the first 22 disaster units and their transportation to Puerto Rico.
For more information or to donate to WaterStep’s disaster relief fund, visit www.waterstep.org.
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