A nonprofit that helps communities hit by natural disasters will head to remote parts of North Carolina this week to help residents access clean drinking water after Hurricane Helen hit parts of the state. are.
South Carolina-based Water Mission has received permission from the state of North Carolina to provide mobile safe water treatment to residents in the hardest-hit areas.
Brock Kreitzberg, director of the Water Mission Disaster Assistance Response Team, spoke to Fox News Digital from the ground in Boone, North Carolina. He said Hurricane Helen destroyed homes, bridges and other infrastructure, leaving people stranded.
“People have to hike for a day and a half to another town just to get food and water. In most places, there are three things: no power, no access to water and food. There is a problem,” Kreizburg said. “Some communities actually share food.”
Death toll rises as North Carolina reels from Helen's devastation: 'We've never seen anything like this'
Roads destroyed by Hurricane Helen (Water Mission)
For more than 20 years, Water Mission, a Christian nonprofit organization, has responded to natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the world, including East Africa, Turkey, Pakistan, Ukraine, and the Caribbean. During that time, the Water Mission has served more than 8 million people.
The organization is partnering with Operation Airdrop, a Texas-based nonprofit organization that organizes general aviation assets to provide safe water systems to areas affected by natural disasters.
Blackhawk helicopter delivering water filtration system (Water Mission)
As of Tuesday, October 1st, Water Mission teams have deployed six water treatment systems and 175 generators throughout Western North Carolina.
Kreitzberg told Fox News Digital that the water treatment system is a pelican suitcase that relies on solar power.
Water Mission provides water filtration systems (Water Mission)
“What they do is they bring it near a water source, maybe near a river, and let it flow into the river. And now the river is like chocolate milk…it's in pretty bad shape,” Kreizburg said. Ta. “So we take the water out of the river and we put it through this filtration system, this reverse osmosis system. It takes all the contaminants out of the water. It ends up being safe water for people to drink.”
Days after Helen's path of destruction destroyed many people, Biden visits North Carolina
Once the system is operational, “we will be able to begin producing and distributing safe water to local communities.”
Brock Kreitzberg, Water Mission Disaster Response Leader (Water Mission)
Helen killed nearly 160 people, making the storm one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The Blue Ridge Mountains were especially hard hit. At least 57 people were killed in and around Asheville, a tourist haven known for its art galleries, breweries and outdoor activities.
“Communities have been wiped off the map,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at a news conference Tuesday.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Helen made landfall in Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane, upending life across the Southeast, with deaths reported in Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. Officials warned that rebuilding would be long and difficult.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
