Water - what else is there?

For those of you who know me, I am a water FANATIC! A bit of background - My husband works as a civil engineer designing all types of water projects for cities all over the west. Because of his experience in serving a mission in Brazil, he jumped at the chance to become involved with Water For People - a charity that was formed by water professionals here in the United States. As I organized all the information he was given when he became the Utah chairperson, I read the stories of families in developing countries and how their lives revolved around water. In our blessed circumstances, we don't realize how lucky we are to have a seemingly endless supply of water - clean water - in our home... that is, until a disaster strikes.

Craig Fisher (let's see if he reads this - hahaha) is our ward's Emergency Preparedness Chairperson. He has a unique perspective because he has worked with FEMA during many of our countries largest natural disasters. He was in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and gained some very insightful observations about water during a crisis.
1. Water may be everywhere - but none of it is suitable for drinking. During a catastrophe - most infastructure such as water pipes, electricity, gas, ect. are completely gone or rendered useless. The water that has flooded streets or running in our rivers and streams - is not suitable for drinking - it can compound an emergency situation by making you very sick.

2. The human body can go for up to 2 weeks without food, but it can not survive but a couple of days without water. That is expedited if the weather is hot and people are left exposed to the elements.

3. People get to a point, during a crisis, that the need for water is so dire that they would do ANYTHING and PAY ANYTHING just for a drink of water. Craig couldn't stress this urgency enough as he shared this observation. Just think - as a parent you are thirsty, but you are watching your young children dry up and die before your eyes - it is heart wrenching.

4. Water is used for more than just drinking. If you were to keep track of all the different times and ways you use water in a day, you would be suprised. In the short time my husband works on a leaky toilet, I'm shocked at how inconvienced I am when I constantly need to use water.

So, what do we do to prepare??? First of all, how many of you have those blue barrels sitting in your garage - empty. The reasons for this may be many - such as, "I'm not sure where I want them and I don't want to have them filled and then want to move them." Or "I'm not sure how to treat the water properly and I don't what barrels of bad water in an emergency." What ever your reasons or excuses - When a crisis hits - they are all going to sound pretty trivial. FILL YOUR BARRELLS NOW - WHERE EVER THEY ARE. We have chlorine in our water and as long as you fill it up to the top and put a lid on it, you are fine. You can always empty out your barrells if and when you decide to move them. Rotating the water every year is optimal, but if you go longer between rotations, you will be ok.

After you have filled the containers you already have - you can move on to additional containers and/or purifying methods. Below are several links that our stake has researched for us that have good information. After the links, I will post a water storage option that was sent to me from the stake. Please don't ignore this VERY IMPORTANT - if not VITAL element of preparation.

http://www.ldsmag.com/churchupdate/100303chile.html
Chile – Lord’s Earthquake Warning

http://connorboyack.com/drop/water.pdf
Water Storage/Purification


http://www.provident-living-today.com/Methods-of-Water-Purification.html
YouTube Video Presentation: #1 Gravity Water Filter
#2 Giant Water Sock
#3 Boiling
#4 Iodine
#5 Chlorine

http://grandpappy.info/wwater.htm
How to Find Water
How to Make Water Safe to Drink
Drinking Water Available Immediately

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/safewater/
Hidden Water Sources in Your Home
When and How to Treat Water for Storage

http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/here-are-pictures-of-some-great-water.html
Water barrel holders by Wendy Dewitt

http://www.utahpreppers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/fson_the_path_to_preparedness-handout.pdf
Food Storage – the Path to Preparedness by Debbie Kent

http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,8207-1-4531-1,00.html
www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/water
www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/emerg.html

http://www.seychelle.com/ $$$

http://www.ldscatalog.org/ - Online at the LDS catalog site
Welfare Services
Home Storage
08381000 Water Filtration Bottle (2 filters included) $22.00
08381951 Water Filtration Bottle (1 filter included) 16.50
08381952 Replacement Water Filter 9.00


Ongoing is a sale until April 17th for a 100 Gallon Water Tank: FYI

Honeyville Farms
635 North Billy Mitchell Road
Salt Lake City
801-972-2168

Recently this company placed an ad for:

100 Gallon Water Tank (26" diameter X 47" tall) for $88.19 Sale price - regular price $99.95

It comes in clear or black LLDPE plastic. Black plastic could be stored outside because lack of light discourages algae growth.

They also carry:

30 gallon Corner (14.5" wide X 14" deep) $69.95 for clear or black - These are not sale prices.
$78.95 for granite

Available in three standard colors: natural so that you can see the liquid level, black to reduce light penetration, and grey granite for a more aesthetically pleasing look. Stores in a corner of a room.

Each of the above tanks includes a plastic faucet located for easy dispensing into a secondary container. A plastic ball valve with hose thread provides an easy complete drainage solution for further water dispensing and quick rotation (every year please).

They also carry 55 gallon blue barrels - 3X thickness - UV is 20 years FDA approved for $42.75
Macy's price is $39.95 this week.