the source and bypassing ground pollution and bad weather and that is good news for this man on staten iowa >> it is a life changing event. jeeshgs october 2012, chris was on staten island when hurricane sandy flooded roadways flattened homes. but the longest lasting affect has been water contamination. >> you still can't drink your tap water after a year and a half. >> no, i have concerns about the clarity and the taste and smell of the water. >> but he is not the only person these days with concerns over water. in fact, 18 western states are facing drought conditions and 7,080 million people live without clean drinking water. >> it is water droplets. >> reporter: and why michael thomas searched the history books. you found a way to get drinkable water from clouds and fog. >> it is using new resources. >> reporter: thomas is a graduate student in princeton and uses polyurthane mesh nets to capture moisture from the air. fog water is so abundant it may one day solve water shortages in the driveway evidentiaries of the planet. it is the cleanest drinking water you can get. >> it doesn't come