Emergency Water Treatment

Emergency water treatment is one of the most important aspects of emergencypreparedness, yet unfortunately it is often one that gets overlooked. Many people assumethat there will always be a way to get clean water; still others think that, if the time evercomes, they should be able to figure out how to treat their water then. It is important tolearn about the different ways of treating water right now, so people aren’t caught off-guardin an emergency.Many die worldwide (and even in the United States) because they lack water, or becausethey drink bad water. An estimated 1.8 million people die every year due to water-relatedillnesses. By making certain that there is a large source of good, sanitized water in theirhouse, people can make sure that they do not fall victim to any of these diseases.The first question that everyone should be asking is: how much water does one personneed? The answer: more than one might think. According to the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA), the bare minimum that one person should drink per day ishalf of a gallon. This is only drinking water, however. A person also needs water for bathing,washing, preparing food, doing dishes, etc.Not to mention all the small crises that could happen in an emergency, like someone gettingsick, or getting injured. Sick people always need more water in their systems to recover,and if there is an injury, odds are that that person will need clean water to cleanse thewound. That’s why FEMA recommends that an average person store at least one gallon perday for at least two weeks. Elderly people, children, and anyone with an illness will needmore.This may seem like quite a bit of water for just one day; however, the average personactually uses over 140 gallons of water every day for cooking, cleaning, washing, doingdishes, showering or bathing, eating, doing laundry, and so on. In light of this statistic, onemeasly gallon of water a day starts to look pretty paltry. It’s good to store therecommended one gallon, but it’s better to have more, just in case.Those are just the basics however. Consider climate for a moment: a person who lives inthe Mojave Desert is obviously going to need more than someone living in upstate NewYork, and not just because there are more natural sources of water in the latter. Peopleliving in hot, dry climates will need more water than those living in cool, or humid areas.Even places like the Sierra Nevadas, which are generally cool, will require more waterbecause of how arid the climate is.It’s a good idea to store enough water for each person, and then some extra for anymedical emergencies. Someone who is, or could become ill obviously will need more waterto keep them hydrated. Illness is not the only thing to consider, of course. As stated, ifsomeone is bleeding or bruises or lacerations, they will need water not only to clean orsoothe the wound, but also water to boil and disinfect rags in, and then water to help keeptheir system fully hydrated so that they can recover as quickly as possible.Basically, a person needs at least a gallon a day, plus extra for emergencies and othertasks; but most sources say that people should store as much water as they possibly can.In emergencies and disasters, people cannot plan for every contingency, so it’s better safethan sorry.The “better safe than sorry” idea also applies to storing the water. Once one knows howmuch water to store, it’s also imperative that they understand how best to store it. Justfilling up the water cooler isn’t going to cut it, and neither is storing milk cartons until thereare twenty or so in the basement. Water can become contaminated very easily--justtouching the inside lid of whatever container it’s in is usually enough to allow bacteria in.Therefore, it is best to follow strict instructions when storing it.Many sources like FEMA recommend buying commercially bottled water and keeping it in acool, dark place. Water bottles, however, do have an expiration date. One can also storewater in gallon tanks, which does require some minor treatment, and which also has anexpiration of 6 months. Drums of water can also be very heavy, so peole either need to buy

lighter containers or a stand so they can tip the container to pour water out without anytrouble. Emergency preparedness stores, like The Ready Store, sell pouches of water in RedCross regulation amounts that have a shelf-life of 5 years and are more dependable thanbottled water and less difficult to manage than a large drum of water.However, it is certainly not a bad idea to use either bottled water or a drum of water. Thebottled water should be thrown out once its expiration date has been reached, or sooner if itis constantly exposed to any source of light. In order to store water in a tank or drum, somepreparation is required. First, make sure to wash out the container very thoroughly withwater and a small amount of liquid dish soap. Also make sure that none of the dish soapremains after the rinsing is done. Afterwards, fill the container with water and add twodrops of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach, and close the container withouttouching the inside of the lid, as that could cause it to become contaminated.Finally, it is worth considering that people should always have an alternate plan to purifywater just in case their supply runs out. There are a myriad of ways to do this, from iodinetablets to boiling or distilling the water. Adding iodine or chlorine to water to purify it isoften the cheapest way, but it also gives the water an aftertaste, and both chemicals can bedangerous if consumed in large amounts. Water can also be filtered in a variety of ways,including micro filters, filtering water bottles, ceramic filters, and so on. There are so manyoptions that it’s really best to examine all of them and decide what is best for the needs ofeach person. Many of these options are found at The Ready Store, which offers acomprehensive selection of filters, purifiers, and storage units (which range from smallpouches to large 30 gallon drums).Essentially, people must never forget how imperative to life water is, and they must makecertain that they will never be without it.