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Disaster Conditions and the Requirement for Emergency Water Filtration Methods

20th June, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Floods are predicted again for the spring of 2010 in some regions of the United States due to record snowfalls throughout the winter months. Compounding the inevitable property damages brought on by flooding will probably be a scarcity of fresh drinking water as streams, rivers, and lakes become contaminated. You can’t say for sure where a flood or other disaster may hit, so it is critical that everyone know what to do before drinking the murky, foul-tasting water that’s left behind. It’s necessary that you know the steps to water filtration to help you keep your family safe.

Though commercial companies use industrial devices such as portable water system equipment to effectively purify water, there are ways you can purify water in your home as well. The most efficient way to handle contaminated water is as simple as boiling it. Boiling removes almost all of the pathogens along with other contaminants in water making it safe. If the water remains cloudy after it has been boiled, you can filter it through a clean cloth to get rid of larger particles then store it within a clean, covered container.

Unfortunately, disaster conditions that require water filtration in the first place often go hand-in-hand with a loss of utilities so that you won’t have the ability to boil water. You can try disinfecting the water by adding 8 drops of common unscented chlorine bleach to a gallon of water then allowing the water to settle. It’s still better if once you have allowed the water to settle you filter it through clean cloths until it looks clear.

In addition to the ways of disinfecting water described above, there are a number of basic filtering devices you can buy to keep readily available for just this type of situation. The simplest of these include filtered drinking straws and sports bottles which allow you to drink almost immediately. There’s also larger machines which will decontaminate several gallons of water per day so that you may have enough for cooking and sanitation as well as drinking. Many of these family-sized machines can be purchased for under $100.

The human body needs water. This is exactly why you see pictures of people in other countries drinking dirty water although they know it may make them sick. Their bodies just demand it even if there is no water filtration company in sight. Knowing the steps you can use to disinfect water should an emergency situation hit your area could mean the difference between life and death for your family. Keeping preparation tools in your home at all times, even though they’re just bleach and clean rags, is probably the smartest things that you can do.