In the past two years there have been several incidences where water resources have been destroyed or damaged, forcing people to figure out in a pinch what to do for a basic need.
From mines leaking contamination into rivers and drinking water, radioactive waste being discovered in aquifers, and manufacturing contaminants sneaking past inspections our water supply is in severe danger. Reports have come out about artificial sweeteners discovered in the Great Lakes and even prescription medications found in ground water. By now, it seems everyone has heard of the problems in Michigan with lead in drinking water. These are just a few of the problems plaguing our nations water supply. Recently I have seen 8 different “boil water” warnings come across news feeds from different cities in different states, all within 10 days. These are sudden events that cropped up without warning where people were told there was a water emergency requiring them to boil their water until further notice. Are you prepared? Are WE prepared?? These events have caused me to take a more serious look at what we have on hand because, let’s face it, one thing we can not live without is water. What does a family need to have available? If at all possible, you need to have both potable (drinkable) water, and non-potable (non-drinkable) water. Do you have space for a couple of barrels of water for flushing toilets or washing yourselves? This would be your non-potable water, and can be pulled from the barrels with a hand pump or siphon. It can also be used for washing up dishes or clothes if you need to. For drinking and cooking water, it makes good sense to store at least some bottled water. Smaller bottles and gallon sizes so that you can have take-with bottles and cooking sizes. Another handy piece of equipment to have on hand is a water filter. If you can collect rain water, snow, or even ground water of some kind, a good quality filter system will help clean this water up so that you can have a more unlimited resource for potable water. Start studying now how to purify water in an emergency - homemade filters, using clear water bottles and the hot sun, or just plain boiling. Read the pros and cons on all these methods and store the equipment needed to make the methods easier to accomplish if you find yourself in a critical situation. It is also very important to remember that you will need extra water storage when you are using freeze dried foods. Don’t forget to allot for this so you aren’t caught short in an emergency. Be prepared so that anxiety and worry don’t over take you. HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD I STORE The standard for water storage for one average person is 1 gallon per day for three days. There are variables to take into consideration such as health, physical activity, diet, climate, and individual needs. This one gallon standard takes into consideration 1/2 gallon for sanitation (brushing teeth, washing face, etc) and 1/2 gallon for drinking. Add additional water for cooking needs. Certain people will also require additional water such as nursing mothers, children, elderly, sick, or those working outdoors. Storing additional water for medical emergencies would be wise as well. Please also remember that using freeze dried foods will require you to have additional water on hand as well. A good standard would be an extra 1/2 gallon per person per day for rehydration of foods. So often we hear people accuse those who put up food of being fear mongers or conspiracy theorists. What we often see, though, is those same accusers will be in need at some point in the future and will be left completely unprepared to provide for themselves and family. Food storage and knowing how to use it isn’t just about preparing for “end times” or “Armageddon”. Putting up food, gardening, saving water, having extra clothing on hand, and money set aside has been done for hundreds of years.
Think about it for a few minutes: When people used to dig a well, did they only dig deep enough to provide water for right now, this week or month? No, of course not. They dug it deep enough to provide a goodly amount of water for a long period of time. What about canning vegetables and fruits or dried foods? Take a few minutes to go back to ancient times and archaeological finds and you will see that people have put up foods for thousands of years. WHY? For what reasons? It’s actually pretty simple - to avoid being caught in a panic without basic needs. We have gotten so used to just relying on the grocery store at the corner and believing it will always be there. But it won’t. Don’t believe me? Just do a quick search on what happens when a storm is predicted for any area in the US. PANIC. The store shelves are stripped in as few hours as possible. No milk, no eggs, cereal flying off the shelves, bread - gone. All the “staples” people are used to relying on disappear. This is not fear mongering, it is the truth. It happens every snow storm, every hurricane. Even comedians are now making fun of people who run out and panic shop. What if you were prepared enough, had enough set aside to take care of yourself and your family for a month? Three months? A year? Would you need to run out to grab all of those items when storms are threatening? What about unemployment? That is a storm noone seems to think about. Suddenly, you have to live on less money than you have had to live on for years, but if you had items stored for at least a few months, you would be able to get through much easier. So you see, it isn’t fear mongering, it isn’t Armageddon, it isn’t conspiracy theory - it is a life ENsurance. You buy life INsurance to cover expenses should you die unexpectedly, just think of home storage of food, personal items, toiletries, and such as life ENsurance. You want to ensure that your family doesn’t suffer unnecessarily through trials and challenges that life throws at you. |
Judith has over 20 years experience in food storage, herbs, essential oils, and prepping. She was a captain in the USAF-AUX, FEMA trained, Community Emergency Response Team member and NRA marksmanship award recipient. She shares her experiences with her readers offering tips and recipes.
Jim has decades of experience with service in the U.S. military, in the Intelligence field, as a commander in USAF-AUX overseeing air and land search & rescue teams and Emergency Services operations, he also had substantial FEMA training, and organized a CERT team. Most of all Jim has been trained and served in various ministry positions to include serving as a hospital chaplain.
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January 2019
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