Water Mission, a Christian charity organization established in Charleston, responded to the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina by providing essential supplies, such as water purification systems and generators. The agency’s prompt action stood in stark contrast to FEMA’s criticism for its tardiness in responding to disasters.
- Water Mission mobilized immediately after the hurricane, distributing 1,100 generators, 124,000 water purification packets, and installing 15 water treatment systems capable of serving up to 5,000 people daily.
- The organization supported Asheville public schools by providing water filtration systems, enabling classrooms to reopen amid the city s water crisis.
- Criticism of FEMA s slow response underscored the urgency and necessity of Water Mission s relief efforts, as thousands remained without power and safe water weeks after the storm.
- Water Mission s efforts in western North Carolina marked its latest contribution to disaster relief, continuing its global mission of delivering clean water solutions.
A Real Special Relief Effort : Global Christian Charity Played Critical Role During Hurricane Helene Recovery
In September, Water Mission, a global organization headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, stepped up to supply generators and clean water to storm victims after storm Helene caused catastrophic floods and destruction in western North Carolina.
Following Helene’s destruction, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) came under heavy fire for their tardy disaster response and financial mismanagement, which left people without water and electricity for weeks.George Greene IV, president and CEO of Water Mission, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the organization was driven to act after witnessing Americans in their own backyards battling to obtain clean water.
As a [United States] institution, we are compelled to try to determine how we can assist whenever there is a need in the country, said Greene. Being able to accomplish that has been a truly unique relief effort for us.
A nonprofit organization dedicated to Christian engineering, Water Mission supplies safe water and sanitation to underdeveloped nations worldwide. According to their website, Water Mission has been offering safe water solutions to over 8 million people across 60 countries since 2001. They also offer worldwide disaster assistance during natural disasters including hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes.
Water Mission has reacted to over 60 disasters worldwide, including a few in the United States, including as Hurricane Katrina, Winter Storm Uri in Texas, and now Hurricane Helene in [Western North Carolina], a Water Mission spokeswoman informed the DCNF.
FEMA was criticized for its inadequate response to the September hurricane that caused catastrophic flooding in western North Carolina by dumping trillions of gallons of water on the south. Volunteers on the ground said to CNN that residents were pleading for assistance and that FEMA, the military, and everything else were still nonexistent more than a week after Helene’s attack.
The whole city of Asheville, North Carolina, which has a population of just under 100,000, lacked safe drinking water, and thousands of homes and businesses were still without electricity three weeks after the hurricane struck, according to USA Today.(RELATED: REPORT: FEMA Supervisor Warned Workers to Steer Clear of Houses Promoting Trump)In response, the day after Helene battered the south, Water Mission started organizing a disaster assistance team on the ground.
We have a few employees in the western region of North Carolina. Greene informed the DCNF, “So right away, we kind of had first hand reports of just how bad things were.” We maintain a small stock of water treatment systems and generators. We therefore had a small skeleton crew arrive on Saturday to load a box truck with a few water treatment units and thirty generators. Head of disaster relief programs Brock Kreitzburg drove to Boone, North Carolina, the day after Helene hit, to start delivering much-needed water treatment systems and generators to the damaged community.
Greene told the DCNF that two major need after a tragedy are power and water. The following day, we began unloading generators and preparing them for distribution after he [Kreitzburg] traveled up to Boone that Saturday and arrived that evening.
October 10, 2024 Water Mission (@water_mission)
Water Mission provided 124,000 water purification packs and 1,100 generators to those in need during the Helene disaster relief effort. Additionally, in some of the worst affected towns in North Carolina, Water Mission erected 15 water treatment systems that turn contaminated water sources into clean, potable water. Up to 5,000 individuals can get safe drinking water each day from these systems.
Following Hurricane Helene, which declared the city’s water unfit for human consumption, Water Mission used these water purification systems to assist Asheville public schools in resuming regular classes. When Greene saw on a national news show that schools were having trouble reopening because of a shortage of potable water, he contacted Dr. Maggie Fehrman, superintendent of Asheville municipal schools.
We really had a connection to the Asheville public school system’s superintendent very early on, and we struck up a discussion with her,” Greene said. Greene proposed that Water Mission provide water purification systems to the schools after Fehrman asked him to assist in locating months’ worth of bottled water for the staff and pupils.
When I returned, I thought, What if we installed water treatment systems in the schools and provided genuinely helpful bottles? Greene informed DCNF. And in the end, it resulted in the kind of school program that we have now.
In a statement released by Christianity Today in October, Fehrman commended Water Mission. Our schools have been able to return more quickly and with full instructional days because to their cutting-edge water purification systems. Over the past few weeks, working with the whole Water Mission team—from their CEO to their local response team—has been enjoyable, Fehrman told Christianity Today.
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