Probably the most important preparation item you can have is a good clean water source. It may not be comfortable but we can go up to three weeks without food, but the human body can only survive about three days without water. I can spend a lot of time talking about all the different ways to find, filter, store, and transport water but that would be a waste of your time.

Each of you has unique circumstances. I know for instance that during a power outage in our area, all of the city water is pumped via emergency generated power. What most don’t know is that the city generators only have about three days worth of fuel, before they shut down. In the case of a week long ice storm that shuts down roads, that may be a problem. If you are on a well, do you have a way to pump water to a holding tank? Do you store water for just such an occasion? There are hand pumps available for wells, as long as they are shallow enough. I know that the deeper your well the more expensive the pump.

If you don’t have the ability to pump your own water, or if your city water is dependent on power, your next option is water storage.Water does have a shelf life. The method of storage, and the quality of water that is stored is very important. Bottled water can be stored a lot longer than the rainwater you collect. Moreover, the container you store the water in also effects storage life. Cycling your water supply is important if you want to have a useable supply when the time comes that you need to use it. Many folks replace their water supply when they change their clocks from daylight savings time to standard time and vice versa.

If you don’t have a ready water source that is drinkable you will have to rely on filtration or purification to make it safe to drink. This can be achieved through chemicals, heat, or mechanical filtration. The most common, and user friendly is of course iodine tablets and drops. The taste leaves a little to be desired, but you at least get the effect you need to make sure it’s safe to drink. You can also use chlorine tablets and drops. There are many types of mechanical filters available also. You just need to research what is best for your situation. The Berkley water filter is great for the home, but you aren’t going to pack that in your bug-out bag? I recommend having more than one way to filter water and always keep a back up to those. As I have heard it said, “One is none and two is one.”

From experience we all know when Murphy will show up to work! In an emergency situation we need to head him off at the pass, and make sure we have multiple ways to handle all challenges that come up when you least need them to. When planning your water supply and storage, make sure you account for all members of your family, including pets. Most pets can fend for themselves if allowed to roam, but caged and penned animals are a different story. We need on average one gallon per day per person. Yes we can survive on less, but I like to brush my teeth at least once a day and maybe even wash my face and other part of my body. The gallon is figuring in drinking, cooking, and washing. You will still have to be on a ration and will need to help your children with this concept but a gallon a day per person is enough to keep conditions fairly healthy. Keeping in mind that a gallon of water weighs 8.086 pounds, you might want to do some planning and studying on this very important subject. There are multiple websites with mountains of info, and of course you can always send specific questions to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.