Water...Prepare It
Being prepared for the worst is hard to do, especially on a budget. One of the hardest things to prepare is water. You can keep cases of water around but if a flood hits and washes it all away what do you do then. Water is heavy, it consumes space, it's hard to transport, and you have to keep it from contamination. When a flood comes along there is tons of water moving very fast and is able to move a lot of weight. So again we have to look for alternative solutions.
The first of these would be portable water purification. If you can take the water you have available and can purify it, that will help you immensely, but that is a very temporary solution. Since it works, let's look at this a little bit. One option is the Lifestraw. The Lifestraw is a personal filter system that can filter water for one person or multiple people on a personal level. The Lifestraw can filter up to 264 gallons of water to remove microbes and bacteria to a level that will help sustain you for a short period of time. It fits in a backpack or pocket. It is something that you can put in your Emergency bag and have handy to get you through till you can stabilize your water supply. The cost of a Lifestraw is about $20, putting 2 or 3 in your go bag can literally save your life. Understanding that you can not survive without water more than 3 days, and knowing that you can get water from almost any source will keep you alive and well. At a time of crisis, It is not uncommon to see water sources contaminated if it is not protected. You should have some sort of water purification other than a Lifestraw. But you will also need a way to store it. How do we do this? Water is heavy weighing in at 8.34 lbs per
gallon. One of the best ways to store water is in plastic containers designed to hold water. Some people like the collapsible 5 or 10-gallon containers. These are good. But I find a plastic Jerry can for water is easier for short-term storage or transport. This style of water can hold 5-6 gallons of water, can be stored in your home or vehicle without taking up much space. They are also fairly inexpensive at $13 at Wal-Mart. Most of these smaller water containers are blue in color and made from a food grade plastic. Now we can and will go one step further. Long-term water storage Long-term water storage is not hard to accomplish. You can purchase a couple of 55 gal water drums. These are again blue in color and food grade. I have found these in a lot of locations for about $50-$90. Here is a link to one location online. There are many places where you can buy them on a site such as Lowes, Tractor Supply, even Wal-Mart carries them however not all stores will have them in
stock. One thing you need to consider when doing this large batch water storage is keeping contaminants out. So I do recommend you find some chlorine based water treatment. This is a good solution if you have a large family or are planning to be prepared for long-term water needs. You will also need to consider some type of pump to get it out of the barrel and into usable containers. These are a few solutions to help you plan for the need to have water available. In the next installment, I will go over how to get and store water from areas that lack water, or if you are in a disaster area and you need something to get you through till you can get water. Keep in mind one person should use 1 gallon of water per day. 2 gallons if you are in a hot area. This includes water for hygiene. If you plan accordingly you should be able to get through till you can replenish your supply. Water is the lifeblood and you need it.So plan and set up things so you can.
There you have it Straight from the gunsmith's mouth.
