Servicemembers provide water to flood-affected community

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joel Mease
  • Joint Task Force-Bravo Public Affairs
SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras (AFNS) --  Servicemembers here are involved in a 10-day water filtration project scheduled to end Nov. 5 after a weeklong stretch of rain flooded a community near La Paz, Honduras. 

Joint Task Force-Bravo servicemembers are providing water to the community as not only homes ruined, but also their well water supply was affected from the flood waters.

In just a few days time, the team was able to transform more than 2,500 gallons of undrinkable water into clean water stored in four water buffalos available for the public, said Tech. Sgt. Shane Bolles, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

"We are able to make almost any water source potable water in just a few hours," said Staff Sgt. Nick Luna, deployed from Dyess AFB.

The machine the team uses relies on three filters that take out impurities at each stage and uses a reverse osmosis system to bring the water back to its purest stage, Sergeant Luna said.

"For every three gallons of unpotable water the machine pumps in, we are able to pump out one gallon of potable water," Sergeant Luna said. "The water that was not able to be transformed into pure water then is released back into the water source."

The impact on the community provided by the water team is seen instantly by the servicemembers, Sergeant Bolles said.

"After the floods happened, the community had to have water trucked in at great expense to them," Sergeant Bolles said. "I see them coming here with a smile on their face, knowing that for many of them their lives were destroyed by this flood. This small gesture means a lot to them."

Not only does the clean water mean a lot to the community, but also it holds a special meaning for the team members who came to help.

"You see them come with just about everything imaginable to fill up with water to take back to their homes," said Tech. Sgt. Romano Cedillos, deployed from the Phoenix Air National Guard in Arizona. "After being able to visit with them and seeing how their community was affected, I feel as if I have made an impact in their lives." 

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