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Guidelines for Obtaining Safe Drinking Water
- Assume that ALL water is contaminated.
- Water should be filtered, disinfected, and boiled.
- You can use household bleach or disinfecting tablets (can be found at most sporting goods retailers) to disinfect the water.
- Adding about twelve drops of common chlorine bleach per quart of clear, filtered water and letting it stand for a few hours is another way of making water safe.
- Make sure that the container is also disinfected.
- Fill bathtubs and large containers with water for washing and cleaning purposes.
- Fill all the available space in your freezer with water using plastic Ziplock bags. Ziplock bags allow you to mold it into all sorts of odd shapes. Also, this will preserve your frozen items longer if there is a power outage, and can be used as an additional source of water.
- Water beds (they contain 400 gallons of water) can be used as an emergency water supply if you put in fresh water and add 2 ounces of bleach per 120 gallons.
- Hot water tanks can also be used as an emergency water supply. Flush it out before hurricane season to remove all the sediment. Open the drain at the bottom of the tank, making sure that the gas or electricity source is OFF. Turn OFF the water intake valve, and turn on a HOT water faucet to start the flow.
- If necessary, rain water can also be collected for washing, cleaning, and even cooking and drinking, but you should make sure that the water is clean before it is used.
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