Most people aren’t cognizant of what it takes to keep a clean water supply in times of natural disaster. This article will assist you in understanding what you need to do so you can keep your family provided for during an emergency. It will tell you about the need to maintain a emergency water supply just in case.
When any kind of emergency strikes, having a ready supply of sanitary water for drinking, cooking, and hygiene has to be a high priority. Even though it may seem unlikely you will ever have a need for an emergency water supply, you are unable to know when an earthquake, tornado, flood, blizzard, or other disaster will down your power supply and leave you without any way to access food or water for days or even weeks. Keeping an emergency water supply on hand would then be a crucial part of your chances of survival.
When making plans for an emergency, you will need to plan for a gallon of water per person per day. Keep plenty on hand to last a minimum of three days. In fact, the best amount of emergency water supply to keep in storage, per FEMA guidelines, would be enough for two weeks. That would mean that a family of 4 should have 52 gallons of water in storage, plus additional for pets. It is also recommended that this water be replaced every 6 months. The price and a place to store this much water may well be prohibitive to many people. Therefore, attempt to keep at least 3 days worth of water in a cool, dark environment.
In the midst of an emergency, if water supplies start to run low, never ration water. We all must have 8 cups of water every day for optimum health. Stick with drinking the recommended amount of water. It could well be that by the time your supply runs out the utilities and water will be back on. If they’re not, you can always concern yourself about accessing more water when you need it. You can minimize the amount you have to have, however, by limiting activity and staying cool.
It is recommended that the emergency water supply that you keep in reserve be commercially-bottled water. Keep it in its original, sealed bottle. Water that has been opened or empty milk jugs filled with tap water aren’t the ideal options when it comes to an emergency water supply. Retaining water in a bottle that used to hold milk or fruit juice isn’t recommended. Milk protein and fruit sugars can never be completely removed from these containers, and if they are later used to store water, these containers will provide the optimum environment for bacteria growth.
