More About Water

I’d like to talk a little bit more about water issues. A human can survive for weeks without food, but only 3 days without water. Other than shelter, this is the most basic of needs and should be the absolute first task tackled when trying to prepare for the future. Start by ensuring you have at least a 3-day supply of water for all your household members and pets. From there, continue adding to your storage with the ultimate goal of having 2 months worth of water stored for your family. Keep in mind that you can get by with less than 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking, but you also need water for cooking, sanitizing, and bodily care. That’s why the CDC recommends 1 gallon per person per day. For a family of 4, you should have stored, at an absolute minimum, 12 gallons of water. But 2 week’s worth, or 56 gallons, would be even better.

If you have any warning of a potential loss of water, you can fill bathtubs. This water should last you several days. If you don’t have bathtubs, use every large kettle or bucket you have. Since houses these days tend to have showers, but not tubs, you can also use the water in your toilet tank, in an emergency, as well as draining the water from your water heater. Your hot water heater can hold between 36 and 60 gallons of water, depending on it’s size. So, worst case scenario, you’ve done nothing to store up water, draining your toilets and hot water heater can provide you with days of life-giving fluid.

Unless you are certain that your water is clean, good water, it should be boiled before drinking. This is the MOST effective way to kill all bacteria. But boil it in a covered container to capture the steam. For every cup of water you boil, you will lose an ounce to evaporation. Your body needs that moisture more than the atmosphere needs it. Once your water is boiled, you can improve the taste by pouring it back and forth between two containers several times, then letting it rest to cook for 30 minutes. I’ve been told that adding a few grains of salt will also improve the taste of boiled water.

If your water has any visible sediment or is cloudy, run it through a coffee filter before boiling. Just remember, though, that the coffee filter will absorb some of the water, also, so you’ll lose more fluid filtering it. If you are unable to boil your water before drinking, you can purify a gallon of water by adding 8 drops of unscented chlorine bleach via dropper to a gallon of water (or a scant 1/8 tsp.). However, some bugs, such as giardia, are resistant to bleach, and adding bleach alone to your water may not purify it as well as boiling. Once you have added bleach to your water, you should let it rest for 24 hours. This added time will also help improve the flavor.

Unscented household bleach should have between a 5% and 9% sodium hypochlorite content to be effective to cleanse water. Most bleach sold in the U.S. meets this criteria, but that is not necessarily the case in other countries. Be sure to check the level of sodium hypochlorite before relying on your bleach. It’s also possible to purchase water purification tablets. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s information on effectiveness against various bacterial strains before purchasing. There’s no use buying a product, then finding out it won’t really meet your need.

Know where your nearest water supply is located. Is there a neighborhood pool nearby? How far is the nearest river, pond, or lake? Have a plan for renewing your water supply. We have several rain barrels. But, even then, if we’re in the heat of summer and have drought conditions, my rain barrels aren’t going to refill. I need to know where I can get water for my family and have a way to get there and home, with sufficient containers. Perhaps you can use a children’s wagon to carry jugs, or a child-carrier attachment on a bicycle. Think outside the box. You will need transportation for you AND the water you collect.

Don’t forget about water for pets. Fido may be the last thing you’re thinking about in an emergency, but he’ll provide you security and affection well worth the little extra you’ll need to care for him. And the elderly and children also require a little more water. 

I’m sure there are other options for water that I don’t know about or haven’t thought through. But YOU should think through them. Spend a few minutes thinking about your nearest water source and planning to put aside at least 3 day’s worth for your family. It really IS the least you can do.

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