The importance of having a supply of emergency water cannot be stressed enough. It is probably the most important thing to have in an emergency survival pack. You can go for many days without food, but without water you run the risk of massive dehydration and of getting sick from drinking unclean water out of desperation. Disease and illness can be spread very easily during disasters, so having a useable supply of water for drinking and hygienic reasons is very important.Having enough emergency water for you and your family is probably the most important part of preparing for a possible natural disaster. So much can go wrong when you don’t have enough clean water for drinking, washing food, and for hygienic reasons. Water is often cut off during a disaster and finding clean water suddenly can become very challenging. If you don’t have access to water from your faucet and stores are empty, then give some consideration to where will you get water that is safe to drink.
The amount of water to have in your preparation supplies is generally said to be four liters or one gallon per person per day. Half of this amount is for drinking, and the other half is for washing food and cleaning one’s body. If you are in a hot environment, then you are likely to use up more water so additional amounts should be stored. If you don’t have enough water, then the risk of dehydration and illness will naturally increase. The length of time you should prepare for is three days, so that will mean twelve liters of water per person.
Storing water is the first step, but how you store it is also important. Your emergency water can be stored in plastic containers, but make sure they are kept out of the sun, as the plastic can deteriorate over time and contaminate your water supply. The jugs you choose can be bought new, or you can use old juice containers. Even bottles that held carbonated drinks are acceptable, as long as they are properly cleaned first. Never use a container that used to hold milk because the bacteria in milk can never be guaranteed to be removed, and this can affect the quality of your water.
Emergency supplies of water, just like emergency food, needs to be checked on a regular basis and replaced. While canned food can generally last for one year before needing to be changed, water usually has a shorter shelf life of six months. As mentioned above, plastic containers can deteriorate over time too and this can affect the quality of the water inside. If you have bottled water, then go by the expiry date on the label. To extend the life of your water you can always put some in the freezer. If you do this, just make sure that you leave a few inches of space between the lid and the top of the water to prevent the container from cracking.
Knowing how to store emergency water could very well save your life should a disaster strike the area where you live. One only has to look at what happened in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck to know just how important having a clean supply of drinkable water is in order to avoid becoming extremely sick. Take steps to store enough water for your family for three days, and then set up a regular system of replacing that water with a fresh supply every six months.
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