By Jenet Krol

Krol@hometownnewsol.com

Of the many natural disasters Joe Hurston has seen in his 40 years of relief work, he said the earthquake in Haiti is the worst.

"I've seen a lot of destruction, from the aftermath of tsunamis, to Manila after four typhoons hit in four weeks. In Port-au-Prince, it's not like a nuclear bomb went off, it's like multiple nuclear bombs hit. This one has just got us all kind of blinking," said Mr. Hurston in a telephone interview from Bon Repos, Haiti, a village just north of Port-Au-Prince.

Mr. Hurston, along with his wife, Cindy, and volunteers with the Titusville-based Air Mobile Ministries, travel the globe with the Voyager Vortex water purifier systems, providing fresh drinking water for victims of natural disasters.

Just 11 hours after the 7.0 earthquake rocked Port-Au-Prince, Mr. Hurston was on a plane, headed to the island to get his water purifying machines up and running.

As the plane landed, his first impressions were almost indescribable, he said.

"Right now I'm a little punch drunk, I've seen so much in the last couple of days. We saw dead bodies on the sidewalks, which was just horrible and the stench is just horrible. The central government is just gone and there are records that will never be recovered. It'd be like ripping your spinal column out. It's going to be a long and difficult road for this country."

People are desperate, said Mr. Hurston, and violence is breaking out in pockets of the island that have not yet been reached by aid.

"We saw a news-cast where people were killed and injured at a distribution center. It's very desperate and it's going to become increasingly desperate."

He plans to take several of the seven working water purifiers to other parts of the island to offer some clean drinking water to those in need.

Getting the water purifiers mobilized is very difficult, however, as fuel is scare. A volunteer spent eight hours finding 15 gallons of fuel that cost $13 a gallon, said Mr. Hurston.

"The military is moving in with bottled water, which is a good temporary thing," he said. But, the water purifiers can provide much more.

Each machine can produce 150 gallons of water per hour, which provides about 300 people per hour with clean water.

"So, if we run the machine for 10 hours, we can reach 3,000 people," said Mr. Hurston.

The volunteer team has spent the last couple of days refurbishing water purifiers that were broken. Parts are hard to come by, said Mr. Hurston, but they've come up with solutions to bring the machines back to life.

"We've refurbished filters and patched together what we could. We could be helping so many more if it wasn't so hard to get the new parts," he said.

In addition to providing clean water, the volunteers with Air Mobile Ministries brought medical supplies and have provided medical attention to those injured in the earthquake.

Working alongside volunteers with the Reach Out to Haiti mission, based in Bon Repos, broken bones, severe lacerations and horrible bruises have been the majority of the injuries they've treated so far, said Mr. Hurston.

And, there are bright spots, said Mr. Hurston.

"We went to the consulate and they did the most amazing thing. They expedited the work to process 14 visas for little Haitian children in the process of being adopted. The consulate section just went above and beyond the call of duty and processed these kids so they could get to the states," he said.

Mrs. Hurston, who is managing Air Mobile Ministries in Titusville, said the children will stay with local families until their adoptive families can connect with them.

Mrs. Hurston, who is a nurse, will travel to Haiti, along with a medical team including a doctor and nurse practitioner, as well as bring five more water purifiers.

"Whatever we find, we'll do," she said. "Wound care, treating infections and dehydration will probably be big."

Mr. and Mrs. Hurston have invested a combined 45 years offering aid to Haiti, said Mr. Hurston, and their hearts are just broken.

"What is encouraging is my family, and volunteers with financial gifts and the phone calls of encouragement."

Air Mobile Ministries is looking for volunteers, but it is dangerous and not for the faint of heart, said Mr. Hurston.

And while food is scarce, food donations probably will not make it to Haiti, since transportation is so difficult, he said.

"Financial donations are the best because that gives us the ability to buy what we can get in," he said.

Rebuilding the country is going to be a long-haul effort, said Mr. Hurston.

"We're probably going to come to Haiti for the next year on a regular basis. This is a very deep and difficult problem that will go on long after the reporters have broken down their satellites and tents. My heart is just wrapped around this country."

For more information on Air Mobile Ministries or to donate, visit www.airmobile.org or call (321) 567-0332.