Water : The Survivalist’s Gold
When one thinks about survival preparedness, often times the most basic and important item is forgotten about until it is too late. What am I referring to? WATER! Water is THEE MOST IMPORTANT element that you will need in times of emergency and survival. The body can lose all reserve carb’s and fat and about one half of the body’s protein without being in ‘real’ danger, but a loss of only 10 - 20% body weight as water, is fatal.
The normal amount of water loss from the average human body through urination, vapor from the lungs and through perspiration averages at approximately 2.5 liters per day. The human body must remain hydrated and lost water must be restored through fluid intake and the water produced in the body as a result of metabolic processes.
When a body becomes dehydrated, the results are dramatic. They range from extreme thirst, lethargy, apathy, nausea, emotional instability (often the person acts as if they are inebriated), labored breathing, delirium and finally, death. Those who are physically ill, children, infants and the elderly are particularly susceptible to dehydration.
FAQ’s on Storing Water
- “We live near a stream that runs year round. In the event of an emergency could we take drinking water from the stream?”
- Answer: Under serious disaster conditions, no water can be presumed safe for consumption. Typhoid fever, dysentery, and infectious hepatitis are diseased associated with unsafe water. Water purification techniques may be effective in removing some, but not all contaminants from water. The only way to guarantee a safe water supply is to store it away yourself–before a disaster.
- “How much water should I store?”
- Answer: I recommend that everyone store a minimum of 2 gallons per person/per day and I recommend that you store a minimum of 2 weeks supply per person. This may sound like a lot of water and it is..but better to be safe and hydrated, than to go batshit crazy and die of thirst. When storing your water don’t forget water for your pets. Also remember that you will have to use water for cooking and sanitation/hygiene. That is why I recommend storing more water than most ‘experts’ do.
- “How long can water be stored before it should be rotated?”
- The shelf life of water depends on the original quality of the water, the temperature at which it is stored, how much light it is exposed to just to name a few. Many manufacturers of bottled water will include a shelf life on their product. We have stored water in any kind of container that you can imagine.
- During the winter we had some serious water pipe problems and had to crack into our stored water supply. Some of the bottles had been stored for over 6 months and tasted just fine.
- “Some of the water I have stored tastes flat, what should I do?”
- Stored water may eventually develop a disagreeable appearance, taste, or odor. Inspect your water supply at least every six months to see whether the containers have leaks.
- Tips and Suggestions for water storage:
- To increase the shelf life of water stored in translucent containers, group the containers together in dark plastic bags to keep out the light. Polyethylene plastics (water, milk, and bleach bottles) can be permeated by hydrocarbon vapors. Store your water supply away from gasoline, kerosene, pesticides, or similar substances. If using soda pop bottles to store your water in, the green ones that 7up and Sprite come in are great!
- Make it a habit to fill up all jugs and bottles once they are emptied and washed out, with clean water.
- To seal plastic containers air tight, melt some paraffin wax and rub around the seam between the lid and bottle neck.
- Get in the habit of setting out your CLEAN rubber/plastic trash cans and collect rain water for storage. Once full, I recommend that you purify(Add four drops of bleach per quart of water (or two scant teaspoons per 10 gallons), and stir.) the water and then seal the container. You don’t want to invite nasty lil bugs to come and infest your water supply.
- Store some water bottles in your freezer. This will not only help to keep food items cold if/when the power goes out. When the water inside the bottle melts,drink up!
- No bottles or containers handy for storing water? No problem. Water can be stored in plastic bags, ziploc, trash bags, etc. We put a few gallons of water in trash bags and line the bottom of our deep freezer with them. We also keep several varied sizes of ziploc bags filled with water and in the freezer. These can also be used as icepacks.
- Get in the habit NOW of placing a container in your sink when you do your dishes, wash your hair, etc. The ‘dirty’ water can be used to flush your toilet, saving the ‘clean’ water for cooking and drinking. Water that you have boiled your food in can be used to flush toilets also, or (depending on what you cooked in the water) to hydrate small plots of growing veggies. Water is ‘gold’, waste not..want not!
- Get in the habit of doing these things NOW. It will make any survival/disaster situation run more smoothly.
Under emergency conditions, water that tastes flat can be aerated by pouring the water from one container to another to another about three or four times.
Additional Water Sources
In addition to your stored water, there are a number of other possible sources of water in your home:
- Water drained from the hot water tank if the tank remains upright.
- Immediately after a major disaster, we can prevent contamination of our hot water tank supply by shutting off the water valve that leads from the water main into the house. To drain the tank, follow these instructions:
- Turn off the gas or electric supply to the tank.
- Close the water intake valve into the tank by closing the faucet at the top of the tank.
- Drain water into a container by opening the faucet at the bottom of the tank. Never turn the gas or electricity back on until the valve is reopened and the tank is full of water.
- Drain water every six months allowing water to drain until it flows clear. This process will ensure that the tank remains free of mineral and rust deposits and will also save on fuel!
- Immediately after a major disaster, we can prevent contamination of our hot water tank supply by shutting off the water valve that leads from the water main into the house. To drain the tank, follow these instructions:
- Water remaining in the pipes.
- If your home is multilevel, you can drain the existing water in the pipes by gravity flow, after the water line into the house has been shut off.
- Open a faucet on the top floor and drain water from a faucet at the lowest level.
- Water dipped from the flush tank (not bowl) of the toilet.
- Purify water before using. Do not use chemically treated “blue” water.
- Water from a swimming pool.
- This water can be used for hygiene purposes only. If consumed, this water can cause diarrhea due to chlorine content and can even cause permanent kidney damage.
Purifying Water
- If water is polluted, strain through paper towels, paper coffee filters, or several layers of clean cloth into a container to remove any sediment or flaking material. Then boil the water vigorously for 10 minutes, as this will usually make it safe to drink. Add one additional minute for each 10,000 feet of altitude, depending on the area you live in.
- Another method of purification is to strain the water as described above, and then to chemically purify it by adding liquid bleach or tincture of iodine. Do not use granular forms of household bleach as they are poisonous.
- For clear water, use three drops of tincture of iodine per liter. If the water is cloudy, then these amounts should be doubled. Store an eye dropper with your emergency supplies, to be used only for this purpose.
- Mix thoroughly by stirring or shaking water in a container. Let the water stand for 30 minutes. A slight chlorine odor should be detectable. If not then the dosage should be repeated and the water allowed to stand for an additional 15 minutes.
- Liquid bleach loses strength over time. For this reason I mark each bleach container with the current date. If the bleach is one-year-old, double the amount. Two-year-old bleach should not be used.
- Water purification tablets will purify one liter (approx. one quart) of water. The tablets have a shelf life of two years and lose their effectiveness if them get damp.
- Purify enough water to last a maximum of 48 hours. Water allowed to sit for longer than this may become re-contaminated.
