In 24 hours, Hurricane Milton became one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. It was the second-fastest hurricane in history to intensify from Category 1 to Category 5, leaving widespread destruction across the U.S. As with many natural disasters of this scale, it has revealed existing infrastructure issues, including the power grid’s vulnerability. In addition, one significant consequence of the storm was that it disrupted essential services like water. But an idea in one part of Florida may have found a solution for future crises.
A problem and a solution. The devastation was clear when Hurricane Milton struck Florida’s west coast on Oct. 9. According to CNN, the “monster” storm damaged water lines in St. Petersburg, leaving critical facilities, including hospitals, without access to clean water.
One of those affected facilities was Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, where the neonatal unit relied on a stable water supply. The solution? The WC-1000 WaterCube, a machine that uses atmospheric water production technology to extract potable water from the air.
Atmospheric water production. Anticipating the crisis, Jason Weida, secretary at the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), reached out to Genesis Systems, a Tampa-based company specializing in atmospheric water production, to deploy their technology ahead of the hurricane.
The AHCA sent a WC-1000 WaterCube machine first to a shelter near Tampa and then to All Children’s Hospital as a backup, in case the government could not quickly restore the water supply.
How it works. The WC-1000 WaterCube can produce from 1,000 to 5,000 gallons of drinking water per day by extracting moisture from the air. It uses advanced absorbent materials to capture water, which is then extracted when heated. This process is especially efficient in humid climates like Florida. Genesis Systems designed the machine to connect directly to a building’s water system, allowing it to be deployed relatively quickly in emergency situations.
However, its size and weight—18,000 pounds—mean deployment can be complicated. It requires precise logistics, especially during disaster recovery.
Costs and challenges. Innovative technology like the WaterCube comes at a steep cost. Each unit costs $860,000, limiting its widespread use as a large-scale solution. While available in critical urban facilities like hospitals, it can only meet a fraction of demand. For example, according to figures published by the Department of Energy, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital typically uses between 10,000 and 90,000 gallons of water per day.
Genesis Systems has also introduced a smaller, more affordable version for home use, the WC-100 WaterCube, which produces between 100 and 200 gallons of water per day. However, it remains costly at $20,000 per unit.
The future of the technology. Genesis Systems recently announced that it’s continuing to improve its technology and is working with the Department of Defense to refine its water generators. The goal is to enable them to operate in lower humidity conditions, which would extend their range and applicability to other regions.
In the long term, enhanced extraction capacity could make this technology a critical tool in disaster areas or regions where access to potable water is scarce or limited.
Image | Genesis Systems
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