One of the first priorities for emergency preparedness is having an emergency water supply. I hope I don’t have to go into too much detail here about the importance of water. The body can lose all of its carbohydrate and fat stores, as well as half of its protein stores, and still survive. Just a 10-20% loss of body weight in water would prove fatal.
The effects of dehydration can be severe, including labored breathing, dizziness, and delirium, potentially turning a difficult situation into a dire one. Natural water sources, such as streams, wells, lakes, etc. cannot be relied upon as they may be contaminated with diseases or toxins and purification methods may not remove them all. After a stable supply of fresh air, a clean water supply is the next most important priority.
How much water to prepare is a personal choice. The bare minimum, as recommended by FEMA, is 1L/person/day or a minimum of 3 days. Other government websites recommend up to 2-3L/person/day. And honestly, considering how cheap (essentially free) water is, and how incredibly important it is, I say err on the side of having too much as opposed to too little.
With more long term water storage, you’ll want more water/person. You can survive on a bit of a deficit for a few days, but don’t want to push it after that. You’ll also need water for washing, hygiene, etc. I suggest 4L/person/day. A 2 week supply would be 53L/person; a month’s supply would be 120L; and a year’s supply, if you’re so inclined and have extra space, would be 1460L/person.
Bottled water is an option, as it’s easier, and can be safe and reliable. It will usually have the shelf life printed on the bottles as well. The plastic used is permeable to hydrocarbon vapours though, so you don’t want to store it near gasoline or pesticides. There are also water storage containers for sale designed for long term storage of water.
You can also use old containers to store your water. You’ll want to avoid anything that’s had milk or juice in it, as the sugars and fats are difficult to fully remove, and bacteria can form that will ruin the water. 2L pop bottles work well for storage. To clean them out, first rinse with soap and water. Then add 1L water and 1 teaspoon of unscented household chlorine beach. Swish around, touching all the inner surface of the bottle. Empty, and rinse thoroughly with water. Fill bottles with tap water. If the city treats the water with chlorine, that should be enough to kill any bacteria remaining. If not, add 2 drops of chlorine bleach. Tightly close the cap, and tada, you have 2L of water stored!
The shelf life of water can vary depending on quality of water, temperature and light exposure. To increase the shelf life, cover the bottles with dark plastic bags in a dark, cool area. Again, keep away from gasoline/kerosene/pesticides to avoid contamination.
Inspect your water every 6 months, for leaks/changes in color, and look to rotate this water as its shelf life will often not last much longer than a year.
Should you find yourself unprepared, or find your emergency water supply runs out, you will need to learn about emergency water filtration and purification.
Good luck and stay prepared!
Article contributed by RamboMoe – read more from him at prepardforthat.com
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It is amazing how fragil the modern water source is. There is only one reason that you see subdivisions, homesteads and million dollar homes miles out in the country or urban settings. The water source. There are no wells, cisterns, or springs that can be accessed for fresh clean water any more. When those water pumps fail at the water plant, all those people will be heading to town for a drink. Until just recently, water treatment plants were not required to have back up generators. Only the watewater plants were required to have them. It has changed some, but what if the the fuel can’t get there? How long can a generator run on one tank of fuel, three , four days? . Once the integrity of the system fails, the water in the lines become just like the water in the grader ditch!
Even in the best of times, water can be a problem to deliver without it becoming contaminated. So, I would suggest. put some water back just for emergencies. Talk to the manager of your local recycling center. He will save you all the used 5 liter wine bottles, take them home, sanitize them, and store water in them for emergencies. And the next time your water is off for a major waterline repair, no big deal, you can still make fresh coffee. It will cost you nothing, but will give you the security of knowing that hey, I got water!
Yeah water is so insanely important, and so easy to store, that every household should have some put away. It’s the first major obstacle in a major emergency, and if you have just that prepared, nothing else, you will still be in a much better position than 90%+ of the people out there. And let’s be real- the process is as complicated as filling up bottles with water and placing them in a corner.
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