TITUSVILLE, Fla. – When disaster strikes, the world can count on a local pilot and humanitarian to be there.
Since starting Air Mobile Ministries in 1978, Joe Hurston and his volunteers have helped bring clean water to people in more than 50 countries at the mercy of Mother Nature.
Last summer, News 6′s James Sparvero met Hurston at the airport in Titusville before he flew water purifying machines to Hawaii after deadly wildfires.
Now, Hurston is getting ready to take off again — this time, toward the destructive path of Hurricane Beryl.
“The first thing that really goes in a disaster is the water,” Hurston said. “If it’s an earthquake, a hurricane, a typhoon, flood, when you run out of water, you’re way out of luck, as they say.”
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Hurston’s water purifiers make enough clean drinking water each day for 1,000 people.
“If you need water, and you’ve got a dirty water source, you can run that thing around the clock day in, day out,” he said.
Hurston said he will first fly to Tennessee to pick up 10 purifiers, and then fly back to Titusville before flying to Puerto Rico.
Hurston said his team will be based on the island, and then they’ll fly to wherever water is needed once the storm passes.
“That is an ideal location to come along on the backside of the hurricane and go to where the most damage is,” Hurston said. “So we’re going to go in loaded and able to bring a lot of people clean water.”
Hurston was quick to credit his team of volunteers with the ministry’s success and longevity.
“I could not do what we do without a lot of people praying for us,” Hurston said. “Let me tell you, prayer is the single most important thing that we need, and then we need money to buy the gas.”
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