MANSFIELD, Ohio – The 179th Airlift Wing sends a fourth C-130H Hercules aircraft along with a team of six Airmen from the 200th RED HORSE Squadron (RHS) and a Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (ROWPU) October 6, 2017 to aid in hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
With basic life needs such as water, food and shelter still needed, the 200th RHS has the unique abilities and capabilities to provide just that.
Master Sgt. Isaac Strickler, a Power Production Supervisor with the 200th RHS said
“We are taking the ROWPU to Puerto Rico, we are going down there to set it up to produce fresh drinking water for the local communities for the next several months.”
The ROWPU provides potable water from a variety of raw water sources such as wells, lakes, seas, lagoons, rivers, oceans and ice holes. The proper use of the ROWPU can provide purified drinking water for thousands of people.
Technical Sgt. Brock Mowry, an Electrical Power Production craftsman with the 200th RHS said, “We will be able to purify up to 1,500 gallons per hour.”
The treatment of water is necessary to prevent various waterborne diseases, such as typhoid and dysentery. Treatment processes must control certain chemical and physical characteristics of water, such as hardness or unpleasant taste. Hence, the function of a water treatment is not only to make water safe for human consumption but also to make water more palatable, less scale forming, and more suitable for use in laundries, boiler plants, and various other places.
Staff Sgt. Heather Swinehart, a Water and Fuels Systems Maintenance journeyman with the 200th RHS said, “We will be able to sustain as many people needed, for as long as needed, as long as we have the chemicals available for the system.”
These Ohio Air National Guard Units are leaning forward to provide support capabilities to Puerto Rico and other areas affected by hurricane Irma and Maria; as well as, aid in the recovery and relief efforts in the area.