In a cluttered workshop behind a former supermarket on Savannah Hwy, dozens of volunteers from the Charleston area are busy at work trying to save lives in Haiti.
This week Water Missions International sent 30 water purification systems to be distributed once Tropical Storm Tomas possibly slams the already earthquake-torn island nation.
"This is a dangerous time down there with the potential for flood waters to further the spread of cholera," says Patrick Haughney, director of international programs for WMI.
The cholera bacteria is primarily spread through contaminated water and food which is often shared in the cramped tent-cities that hundreds of thousands of Haitians live in.
"Our filtration systems treat the water we give people with chlorine which is extremely effective in killing the cholera bacteria," says Haughney.
WMI has sent almost 800 systems out to dozens of countries. They are constructed and distributed by the Christian organization's 400 volunteers.
"We couldn't do it without our local volunteers," says WMI co-founder Molly Greene.
The systems typically take less than 2 hours to set up and can produce up to 10,000 gallons of safe water per day.
"These systems are very durable and are ideal for disaster zones like Haiti," says Greene.
WMI says that for the donated cost of just one cent a person without clean water can receive a day's supply, and for $10 a lifetime supply.
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