Water....a few last thoughts!

 

Which might affect you and your family?? 
And, I can think of a few others off the top of my head. Hurricanes, gas leaks, fire, chemical spills, etc.

So, what about water?? What's the big deal? If you REALLY want to find out why it's a problem, do a small experiment in the safety and fallback of your own home. Turn off your water source and try to live a "normal" life for just one day. We use our fresh, clean, readily available, water ALL the time. Get up and take your shower, use the potty, brush your teeth, get a glass of water...this is just the first 15-30 minutes of YOUR day...not that of your spouse or family. If water is gone...not just CLEAN water, but water....what will you do??

Here are some ideas to get you thinking and hopefully researching how you will solve your problem. And, here is a huge tip...don't put all your water "eggs" in one basket. Have a backup to your backup to your backup!

**Do you know how heavy water is?? Planning on taking your 55 gallon drum with you if you had to leave your home? It weighs just under 500 lbs. when it is filled! That baby isn't going anywhere unless you have it on a trailer, ready to go! A 30 gallon container weighs 264 lbs. and a 15 gallon one weighs in at a mere 133 lbs! 

**Here are some ways to clean water. Do you have any of them?

   **Boiling water (do you have a heat source?)

   **Chlorine dioxide tablets and water drops 

    **Chlorine bleach

    **Filtration (Big Berkey Water Filter, Katadyn water filter, Lifestraw water filter, SteriPen, etc.)

    

**Places to get emergency water (rainwater, fire hydrant, hot water tank...some of these will need special tools)

**Do you use or own a well? If the electricity is off, how will you pump water?? Think about investing in a hand pump. You can hook your well pump up to a generator...however, when the gas runs out, then what?

**Some of these ideas are good to research for DIY options. We've made a "Berkey" type water filter from food grade water buckets and chalk filters. It's what has been used in places like Haiti to clean their water. Easy to transport and inexpensive!

What did Col. Kennedy use? They had water sources, but here is an example of a "natural" way to help clean your water. But, it also needs pre-planning to have the items you might need like charcoal, sand, etc.  This is something you would use in the event that all other sources had dried up! :)