Living in a modern society, it is easy to take our easy access to clean drinking water for granted.
That means it is extremely important to be prepared if access to water is restricted. Here’s how to prepare for a water shortage.
Know Your Storage Options
If you don’t want to be stuck without water in an emergency, the best thing you can do is establish a water storage plan. You can purchase large storage barrels to store water in your garage, shed or elsewhere in your home.
If space is at a premium, you can store water throughout your home using a variety of storage containers. Get creative and fill your unused storage spaces with containers full of clean water. You can store the water under your bed, in the back of your closet, or under your stairs.
Act quickly if a disaster strikes while you still have running water. Fill up your bathtub, sinks, pots and other large storage containers with water.
Know Your Available Water Sources
There’s only so much water you can store, so in the event of a water supply disruption, you’ll need to focus your efforts on finding and acquiring water. If you have the space on your property, use rain barrels to collect rainwater.
Before an emergency strikes, you should be aware of local water sources in your area. Identify local rivers and ponds that would be good sources of water. Note that natural water sources are not safe to drink, so you will need to be able to purify it before you drink it.
Know How to Purify Water Once You Get It
Although we can only survive up to a few days without water, we might not even make it that long if we drink water that is contaminated. Natural water sources tend to have bacteria, viruses and other potential toxins that can make us sick.
There are many options available for purifying water. If you have access to a heat source, you can boil the water to kill the harmful bacteria. Water filters, steri-pens, and chemical treatments such as iodine and hydrogen peroxide can also be used to purify water. If you don’t have any of these purification tools available, you can create a solar still to collect safe drinking water.
