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Hancock Co. man completes fifth trip to Ukraine delivering more water purifiers

Joe Hurston is the founder of Air Mobile Ministries, which provides disaster relief in impacted areas. This was his fifth trip to Ukraine.

HANCOCK COUNTY, Tenn. — A Hancock County man returned to Ukraine again recently, delivering ten more water purifiers so people in the country can have reliable access to water despite the war turning buildings into craters.

Joe Hurston founded Air Mobile Ministries in 1978. The nonprofit delivers medical supplies, food, clothing and a special water purification system to areas of the world impacted by disaster and conflict. The mission marked Hurston's fifth trip to Ukraine.

"People have been phenomenal. The Ukrainian people are not only incredibly brave, but they're very smart, and they recognized the unit and the power of the unit, and how well it works," he said. "They've just been great."

Each water purifier can give around 1,000 people safe drinking water every day, regardless of where it comes from. The trip will result in 50 total purifiers being brought into the country since the war started. One system costs $3,000 to build.

The water purifiers use ozone and UV light to sanitize water. He said the parts are replaceable and according to Air Mobile Ministries' website, they weigh around 29 pounds each but can produce up to 25 gallons of drinking water every hour. Each case comes with the equipment people would need to set up a device and start cleaning water.

Hurston's last trip to Ukraine was in June, when he also delivered ten water purifiers.

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