When it comes to disaster preparedness, one thing that should never be forgotten is the emphasis on emergency water storage. Sometimes it is easy to find people who have disaster preparedness kits stashed away in their homes complete with food, first aid kits and a few other essentials. In many cases, however, water remains as the single most important commodity that is not given enough attention; this often results in water shortage problems that are serious enough to undermine all other steps taken to prepare for a disaster.
The average disaster preparedness kit often has two or three small bottles of water for drinking purposes. Because large volumes of water are heavy and not easily transferable, it is fairly common for people to just think they’d survive with a just a few bottles of water. This, however, is the wrong mind-set when it comes to emergency water storage. Given the importance of water for survival, it is something that should never be taken for granted.
If you belong to that group of individuals who just pack a small amount of water for emergencies, it’s time to overhaul your disaster plan and think differently. Here are some important tips for emergency water storage that can mean all the difference between life and death in a disaster scenario.
· The first thing you need to think about is quantity; specifically, how much water should you store to be prepared for a disaster. There is no universal answer to this question but there are a few rough guides that can help. The most basic is to store 1 gallon of drinking water for every person per day. This means that if you plan to make your drinking water supply last for a week and there are 5 people in your home, you need a total of 35 gallons of water for that period. And this only covers the water needed for drinking. You will also need water for cooking and hygiene.
· Next, decide on the safest storage options for your water. Plastic containers that can be closed properly are ideal because these are able to keep the water safe for long periods. You can purchase water containers from disaster preparedness stores or recycle old ones lying around provided you clean them properly before storing water in them.
· The storage location of the water is also critical. If you are in a flood-prone location, don’t store the water in the basement. Store it in a safe location that would give you easy access to it even if you were trapped in your house due to whatever disaster is happening outside.
Emergency water storage should not be taken for granted. Plan it properly if you want a better chance of surviving through any disaster that comes to your area. A good disaster preparedness kit can only do so much without water. Secure your access to clean drinking water and you should be able to ride through the toughest times while waiting for help to arrive.
If you would like to learn more about why you should keep emergency water on hand be sure and browse through our huge amount of information on this important subject.
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