Disaster Preparedness - Clean Drinking Water in Any Situation

Whether you have a natural disaster, like an earthquake or hurricane, or just need to be sure the water you consume is clean when hiking, it is important to know how to find and purify water for safe consumption.

After a natural disaster that threatens the water you drink there are several sources readily available to you that were safe before the problem arose, and if you can reach them are most likely still safe and clean. Every home in modern America has a hot water heater….this water is safely contained and housed from contamination and may still be used safely. You also have within your home toilets that have reserve tanks, this water stands a good chance of still being clean if the tank is not breached. Also check your freezer…ice cubes are a good source of water.

A very good idea is water storage. Putting water in clean, hard plastic bottles for future use is excellent planning. You can use any container that once held drinkable liquids, do not use bottle that held bleach or other household chemicals! Also one note on bottles…although gallon milk jugs with screw caps work, you will find that the seams on the bottle do not hold up well. Water can be stored for up to a year safely. The main complaint is that the water tastes “flat”, this is due to the oxygen slowly leaving the water, so just re-oxygenate it by pouring it from one container to another before consumption.

How much water should you plan on storing you might ask…. A normal active adult should drink at least 1/2 gallon of water per day. Additional water is needed for brushing teeth, bathing, cleaning cooking utensils, and also for cooking food in. Store as much water as you have space for, but a three days supply is considered to be a minimum amount. Do not forget your companion animals when planning amounts of water to store…..if you do not plan on their consumption then you will go through water faster than you imagined.

If your water storage gets ruined in a disaster or you are hiking and run out of potable water, the need arises to obtain clean water for survival. If the water you find is cloudy you need to filter it before anything else……there are ways to do it with next to nothing available. Take a funnel, if you have one, or make one from an old 2 liter soda bottle or a rolled leaf into a cone shape (large, waxy leaves like those of the Southern Magnolia work well). Place the funnel into a collecting container. Inside the funnel place a rolled up white sock, pour the water slowly over the sock (a white sock allows you to see when the sock gets dirty and needs to be replaced).
Next take the filtered water and boil it for 10 minutes. This kills many of the bacteria found in water. If bleach is available you can then add it to the water to finish the cleaning process. Bleach must be the type that says on the label that is contains 5.25% hypochlorite. You then take an eye dropper and add it in the amount of 8 drops per gallon of clear water and 16 drops per gallon of cloudy water. For 5 gallons you use ½ tsp for clear water and 1 tsp for cloudy water. Let this stand for 10 minutes before consuming.

For additional information call the EPA - Safe Water Hotline (800) 426-4791.