BLACKSBURG, Va. – Cleanup continues in areas hit hard this hurricane season. Here at home, Virginia Tech is reaching into Texas and Florida water wells to discover if the people there are in danger.
Tests are underway to determine if water from Florida and Texas is safe to drink. Backed by a $200,000 National Science Foundation grant, Virginia Tech is getting well water sampling kits on the ground in some of the areas hit hardest this hurricane season.
"The new grant actually came as a result of Dr. Kelsey Pieper, William Rhoads and Adrianne Cantnor. They realized that finding safe water is one of the biggest problems after these natural disasters and private wells are a key source," said Marc Edwards, professor at Virginia Tech.
With the help of local universities, the sampling kits are being passed out throughout Texas and Florida to residents with wells. The samples are then sent back to Virginia Tech where students and staff are looking for two things -- does the water have dangerous bacteria or does the water contain chemicals that could be harmful.
"There's no disputing that this has created a lot of dangerous water. People are getting sick as we speak and access to water is getting desperate," said Edwards.
Virginia Tech is preparing to test about 1,000 water samples from Texas and Florida. Staff members said it's just one way the university can use its resources to help those in need.
"It really shows humankind at its best and Virginia Tech is happy to play their role in this," said Edwards.
Once the tests are completed, Virginia Tech will contact hurricane victims and let them know if it's "officially" safe to drink their water or if they need to invest and disinfect.
Texas and Florida aren't the only areas receiving help from Virginia Tech. At the request of CNN, Virginia Tech's lab tested water from a hazardous waste site in Dorado, Puerto Rico, where residents began taking water from wells. The lab found that no dangerous chemicals were present and it was safe for human consumption. The EPA is following up on those tests.