As another active hurricane season bears down on the Eastern U.S., Louisville-based WaterStep is ready with equipment that can provide safe water and disinfectant for thousands in disaster situations.
Developed in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), WaterStep’s WOW “Water on Wheels” Cart (patent pending) is a portable, mini water treatment system that provides thousands of gallons of safe water for drinking, bathing, cooking and cleaning. WaterStep received a prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Government Leadership Award in 2020 for the WOW Cart and its partnership with the U.S. EPA. This award recognizes significant, lasting achievements by the government’s cross-sector partners in helping federal officials meet mission goals.
Texas Roadhouse operates over 600 restaurants throughout the country, with more than 100 located in hurricane zones. That’s why the company purchased a WOW Cart and trained personnel (pictured above) on how to install and operate the system – so they can be prepared the next time disaster strikes in one of the communities where their restaurants are located. In the event that the local water source is compromised, the WOW Cart can supply safe water and disinfectant so the restaurant can continue operating in order to provide meals and water to first responders and anyone in need in the community. Providing aid to those affected by hurricanes is something Texas Roadhouse has invested in for many years.
“This partnership with WaterStep and investing in a WOW Cart helps us feel better about our response plans when facing a potential hurricane,” says Travis Doster, Vice President of Communications. “We want to be able to step up and use the restaurants and their resources to help the communities survive disaster situations.”
Last September the WOW Cart was deployed to Southwest Louisiana (pictured above) to bring aid to the communities that were devastated by Hurricane Laura. The Cart is now stationed there with Inspiritus Disaster Relief, so those vulnerable areas are now prepared when another storm comes.
“We’ve been providing safe water in disasters for many years, and the WOW Cart is a game changer in these situations,” say WaterStep Founder and CEO Mark Hogg. “Plastic water bottles are not a viable solution to meet the needs of communities trying to rebuild after their water source is compromised. The Wow Cart allows people to have equipment on standby that ensures access to as much safe water and disinfectant as they need, with NO plastic waste.”
The WOW Cart is ideal for anyone needing to provide water and disinfectant in a disaster situation, including Forest Firefighters, Emergency Response Management, NGO and Corporate Disaster Relief Teams, and hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. It includes WaterStep’s internationally awarded M-100 Chlorine Generator for providing safe water, and the patented BleachMaker which generates powerful disinfectant.
To donate to WaterStep and send lifesaving equipment to communities in need, visit waterstep.org.
