May Water
Emergency Preparedness Goal
- Place $20.00 in coin and small bills in your “Cash Stash”. Try to forget that this money is even there. When you do need it you will remember. Doesn’t it feel great to have $100.00 stashed away!!
- Baby needs (diapers, formula, bottles, rash ointment, etc).
- Books or Magazines
- Photocopies of important papers (will, genealogy, insurance policies, bank account numbers, immunization information, birth / marriage certificates).
- Games, coloring books, crayons, etc.
Food Storage Goal
- Water, You and your family can get along for quite a while without food but only for a short time without water. Store your water NOW!!
Challenge
Take the time to clean out your water barrels or containers and fill them up with water. They don’t do us any good if they are not filled. Also remember the kiddy pool. Mine is a great source of cleaning water and everything else that I might need water for and it is an easy way to keep a lot of water on storage (I would not recommend drinking it though).
May Tips for Success
Water Storage
Do not minimize the importance of storing water? Its value in times of distress will be great. Water can be used for preparing dried foods, bathing external wounds and helping and helping to cleanse the body internally. It supports and temporarily sustains life during food shortages. Because of its importance, it is difficult to determine the amount of water to be stored; certainly if stored properly, the more the better.
How much water does my body need
In moderate weather a person engaged in sedentary activity, consuming an average diet requires a minimum of one-half gallons of water per day for drinking and for food preparation, or 7 gallons for a 2 week period. In contrast, half of this amount is required in a survival diet. Some of the need for liquids can be met by storing large quantities of fruit juice and soft drinks.
How much water do we store
Store at least a 2 weeks supply, or approximately seven (7) gallons per person. This amount of water would be used for mixing dried foods, cooking, etc. Only sponge or towel baths would be permitted with this amount of water. If you want to have water available for bathing, brushing teeth, and dish washing, it should be of the same quality as water stored for drinking, and must be stored in addition to the amount above. Another 7 gallons of water is recommended for such purposes. Some of your water requirements could be met by making use of the water in the home hot-water tanks and toilet tanks. Water from a hot – water tank can be obtained by opening the drain cock at the bottom of the tank. To get a free flow of water with the water inlet valve turned off: You may need to vent the tank by turning on faucet somewhere on the waterline. Some hot water tanks are automatically vented. Know the location of your main incoming water valve so you can shut it off if directed by local authorities, to prevent the entrance of contaminated water. As a safety measure the valve on the gasoline to your hot-water heater should be turned off also.
Do not store 55 gallon water barrels directly on the cement. Put them on a 2×4 or on pallets.
Safe Storage of water
It is of the utmost importance that water stored for emergency use be clean. Any water that has been tested and approved by health authorities would be safe to store.
If there is any question about the safety or cleanliness of the water you intend to store. It MUST be purified before it is stored.
How to Purify water
Boiling — The safest method of purifying the water is to boil it vigorously for 2-3 minutes to destroy bacteria that might be present. Boiling however does not destroy radioactivity. To improve the taste of the water after it has been boiled, pour the boiled water from one clean container to another several times.
Easy Bleach Method
Any household bleach solution that contains hypochlorite, a chlorine compound, as its only active ingredient will purify water easily and inexpensively.
Bleach Solutions
Bleach solutions with 5.25 percent of sodium hypochlorite are most common. Add the bleach solution to the water in any clean container in which it can be thoroughly mixed by stirring or shaking. The following table shows the proper amount of 5.25 percent solution to add to water.
| Amount of water | Amount of Solution to add to: | Amount of Solution to Add to: |
| Clear water | Cloudy water | |
| 1 Quart (1/4 gallon) | 2 drops | 4 drops |
| 1 gallon | 8 drops | 16 drops |
| 5 gallons | 1/2 teaspoon | 1 teaspoon |
Add the Chlorine solution to the water and stir then let the mixture stand for 30 minutes. After this length of time the water should still have a distinct taste or smell of chlorine. If this taste or smell is not present, add another dose of the solution to the water and let the water stand for another 5 minutes. The taste or smell of chlorine in the water thus treated is a sign of safety. If you cannot detect chlorine in the water, do not store it. The Chlorine solution may have weakened through age or for some other reason.
Iodine or Tablet Purification
If you have ordinary household 2 percent tincture of iodine in your medicine chest, you can use it to purify small quantities of water. Add 3 drops of tincture of iodine to each quart of clear water, add 12 drops for each gallon of cloudy water add 24 drops. Stir thoroughly.
Storing Water reserves
Store your water reserves in thoroughly washed, clean containers, preferably of heavy plastic with tight-fitting caps, or in glass jugs or bottles with screw tops. Metal containers tend to give water an unpleasant taste.
You may want to buy 5-gallon containers of rigid plastic or glass for water storage. The plastic containers have the advantage of being shatterproof and lighter in weight than glass jars.
Clean water stored in this container should remain palatable for an indefinite period. It is advisable to check the containers every few months for leaks. At the same time check the water for cloudiness or other undesirable appearance or undesirable taste. If undesirable appearance or tastes have developed, the water should be changed.
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