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Tips For Emergency Water Storage

3rd October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Without water, a person will only survive for three days. Water is a high priority with regards to emergency preparedness.

Almost 25 gallons each day is used by each individual in the average household. This is not only drinking water, but that used in cleaning cooking and flushing also. Additionally, most of the systems that supply water to those homes are dependent upon electrical power. This includes those residences that make use of well water, because these often use electric powered pump systems. So, water storage is important should the power grid go down.

It’s a good idea to have a week’s worth of water stored for your family. If you are careful with your water use, you will be able to get by with two to three gallons of water per individual in very warm environments. Half of this water will be employed for drinking. The rest will be employed for hygiene and cooking. You might not drink anywhere near this much water at present, but keep in mind that other options for beverages might not be available. Additionally, you will be adjusting to living without the benefit of items like air conditioning and electric fans. You’ve got to replace water lost through perspiration as well as breathing.

If you know beforehand that you could suffer a loss of your water supply, use this opportunity to fill bathtubs, sinks, ice chests and any other container you have that’s sturdy enough to hold water without leaks. Separate the stored water into that which will be useful for drinking and that designated for other use.

Plan to keep enough water to last the home 7 days. This means that every member of your family will need twenty-one gallons of water kept in storage. To be safe, you may wish to double this amount. For five persons, this would mean 105 gallons of water should be stored. Double this volume would mean you’d need a bit over 200 gallons. So, 2 or 4, 55 gallon drums would meet your storage needs.

The weight of a gallon of water is just under eight and a half pounds. This is an important consideration for storage and transportation. Quantities of water are best stored on a strengthened concrete floor as 55 gallons of water (not including extra weight of the drum) would weigh almost 500 pounds. This is too heavy for most other flooring systems.

In case you are unexpectedly lacking water service, you can find places in your house which contain useable water. The majority of hot water heaters contain about 40 gallons of drinkable water. The tank portion of the toilet also has water that is able to be used for drinking purposes. Collect ice from the deep freeze. Do not discard the water within canned products since it is yet another valued source of hydration while each and every drop counts.

Water may be obtained from downspouts or in a children’s swimming pool in the course of a rain. You can place a clean sheet or bedspread out in the course of the rain or overnight on the grass to gather the dew. Wring it out above a storage container. Harvest non-drinking water from toilet bowls and waterbed mattresses.

Prepare ahead to get ready for probable water shortages. Get resourceful with ways to replenish your stored water once the faucet is turned off. Labor to discover ways to reduce the use of the water that is on hand.