Let me tell you what I have been working on recently, emergency water storage. My family is learning about preparedness and our first step is water storage. Part of a healthy lifestyle is being prepared. It truly comes right next to oxygen for survival and is an essential part of any emergency preparedness program. When we are prepared, we have less to fear because we know that we have taken certain actions that will improve our situation. Water storage is the most fundamental part of being prepared for the unexpected.It’s nice to think that our local utility companies will always have clean water flowing to our homes, but the truth is, water can get contaminated, pipes can break and natural disasters do happen. There are many reasons we could find ourselves without water for days or weeks. It’s important to be prepared and this can be both affordable and done with little time.For my long term water storage, I purchased two 25 gallon boxed water kits. The kit includes 5 sturdy cardboard boxes that are stack-able (3 high) and five, 5 gallon bags. These kits are affordable and come with instructions on how to prepare and fill. They are also portable in the event you need to grab a box, put it in your car and go.I have four people in my family and we have 50 gallons of water stored with the boxed water kits and several cases of bottled water. If you have pets, you will want to store an adequate amount of water for them as well. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, you should have a three day supply of water and store 1 gallon of water per person per day (a two week supply is recommended). You should date each water box and rotate the boxes once a year. Also, all water storage containers should be kept in a cool dark place.Most water utility companies treat the tap water with chlorine, so you do not need to add anything else to the water. However, if the water comes from a water source that is non-chlorinated it should be treated with unscented liquid household chlorine bleach. The American Red Cross and FEMA recommend the following procedure for treating non-chlorinated water for emergency water storage.* 1/8 teaspoon of unscented liquid bleach per gallon of water.
* Stir and let stand for 30 minutes.
* The water should have a slight chlorine smell. If it does not taste and smell of chlorine after 30 minutes, add another 1/8 teaspoon and let stand another 15 minutes. If it still does not smell of chlorine, discard and find another water source.Under emergency conditions, water that has been stored may taste flat. You can aerate the water by pouring the water from one container to another about three or four times.There are many ways to store water in your home and this is what I found that worked for my family. The most important thing is that you take action to have healthy habits for your family. So for this Mom’s journey to healthy habits, water storage for my family was a priority. It’s important, it’s simple and I don’t have to do anything with emergency water storage for a year – yeah!