Do you have enough water stored for your family in the event of an emergency? If so, is it stored properly? Having ready, potable water available for immediate use is one of the most important ways to help your family be prepared for an emergency.
How much do I need?
Adults need to drink at least two quarts of water each day. Children, nursing mothers, and ill people may need more. Additional water is needed for food preparation and hygiene—for a total of one gallon per adult per day. The Church recommends storing a two-week supply as a minimum. For an adult, that’s 14 gallons (53 liters).
What do I store it in?
-Use only food-grade containers. Smaller containers made of PETE plastic or heavier plastic buckets or drums work well.
-Clean, sanitize, and thoroughly rinse all containers prior to use. A sanitizing solution can be prepared by adding 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) to one quart (1 liter) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.
Do not use plastic milk/juice jugs, because they do not seal well and tend to become brittle over time. Do not use containers previously .used to store non-food products
Milk protein and fruit sugars cannot be adequately removed from these containers and provide an environment for bacterial growth when water is stored in them.
If you buy your water from the store in it's original containers, then follow manufacturers expiration dates.
Where do I store it?
-Store in a cool, dark place when available.
-Replace the water every six months. (unless commercial packed then use expiration date)
-Do not store were water damage would occur if a leak happens.
-Store some in your freezer. Frozen bottles of water help to improve the efficiency of our half empty freezer, and in the event of a power outage will help to protect the food from thawing.
How do I prepare the water for storage?
-If the water from a municipal source it is already chlorinated you do not need to add anything before storing it. (city water)
-If the water is not chlorinated and is clear, add eight drops of household bleach (5 percent sodium hypochlorite) per gallon. If the water is not chlorinated and is cloudy, add 16 drops per gallon. Seal the containers tightly. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used
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.
Bleach
For clear water, use 8 drops of bleach per gallon of water. 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 mark each bleach container with the current date. Use with in one-year.
Iodine
Iodine has been used to disinfect water for nearly a century. It has
advantages over chlorine in convenience; many find the
taste less offensive as well. It appears safe for short and intermediate length
use (3-6 months), but questions remain about its safety in long-term usage.
It should not be used by persons with allergy to iodine, persons with active
thyroid disease, or pregnant women. Iodine is available in numerous forms,
which can be confusing. 2% solutions 8 drops/liter 8mg tablets 1
tablet/liter be sure to read label and follow guidelines on bottle.
Water purification tablets
Water purification tablets will purify one liter of water. The tablets have a
shelf life of two years and lose their effectiveness if them get damp.
When purify your water, only purify enough to last a maximum of 48 hours. Water allowed to sit for longer than this may become re-contaminated.
There are a lot of people that try to say that you should use Grapefruit Seed Extract GSE, or Colloidal Silver. The problem with these are that the products you buy are not regulated by the FDA and so the concentration varies so much from product to product, making it a guessing game. We personally stick to the tried and true method of HOUSE HOLD BLEACH for our long term storage and the water tablets for our 72 hour kits.
