Survival Solutions – Water Storage and Purification

When a major disaster or crisis occurs, one of the first things to be disrupted is often the ready access to clean running water. Imagine in the aftermath of an EMP attack or a cyber attack for example, that all pumping of water ceases due to there being no electricity. Or perhaps in the occurrence of a major earthquake where pipes are shattered, and water stops running, or if it becomes contaminated with sewerage and waste. Maybe even an economic collapse during which Municipalities cease to operate at their normal level of functioning. Any of these scenarios could cause a chaotic disturbance to the water supply. We all know that water is critical to life and we can’t go long without it.

However, how many of us are prepared for such situations where clean water could be come scarce or unavailable? Is it worth risking being caught off guard with no source of clean water in an emergency situation? I believe the time to get ready is now, BEFORE disaster strikes, Don’t put it off!

In this brief article I want to give a basic outline of things to consider when preparing in advance of a possible water outage. Also I have added links to two videos that we made showing a couple of great, simple but effective water purifiers, that don’t require electricity. They do however, require gathering some materials that you may find hard to come by in an emergency situation, so rather than waiting for one to occur – get your stuff sorted now!

How Much Water Should You Store?

It is generally recommended that you store at least 1 gallon (approximately 3.8 Litres) of water, per person per day. Not all of it will be used for drinking, but at least half of it is likely to be used for that, and the rest can be used for washing hands etc. I suggest that you aim at having at least two weeks worth of drinkable water stored and easily accessible. That means one person would require 14 gallons (53 Litres). The more people you have in the home obviously the more water you will need to have stored.

Basic Water Storage Requirements:

You may decide to purchase bottled water. That can somewhat expensive. Or you may be lucky to already have large rainwater storage tanks. But if not, then there are options for storing water in smaller containers. In the latter case, preferably store your water in food grade plastic or glass bottles. Make sure they are well sealed. I have discovered that using empty juice bottles works well. They will need to be thoroughly cleaned first however.These bottles are generally about 3/4 gallon (2.8 or 3 litters) in size, are easy to handle, and are not too heavy. So, rather than discarding your juice bottles after use, clean them and use them for water storage.

Should You treat Your Water With Chlorine?

If you are storing town water from a municipal supply then the chances are you won’t need to treat the water before you store it as it will already have chlorine in it. If however, you are not on a town water supply then you probably should treat it before you store it. This will increase it’s shelf life. Use only pure Sodium Hypochlorite. Be aware that not all bleaches are pure. Some contain surfactants and other additives and shouldn’t be used. Janola for example is not recommended for this. In New Zealand a product called Clor-O-Gene is one that issuer and is recommended for water sterilization. They state on the product bottle to use one capful per 20 litters of water.

It is advised by many people that you replace your stored water every twelve months.

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Simple Home-Made Water Purifiers

You may find that you run out of stored water and need to resort to gathering water from impure sources. We have here included two videos on how to make very effective water purifiers.

Water Filter – Black Berkey Home Made – Simple Build

A video demonstrating the simple steps used in building a home made water filter using Black Berkey purification elements. It’s a very effective water purifier made at a much lower cost than the commercial products.

Survivalist Water Filter – Make A Bucket Sand & Charcoal Bio filter

How to make an effective charcoal and sand water filter using two buckets. Great for purifying even the dirtiest water. Relatively easy to make with the step by step instructions given in this video. In a survivalist situation having clean water can’t be taken for granted. One of these will ensure you have the ability to make rain water, stream water or even puddle water safe, Note if you use dirty water PLEASE boil it after passing it through this filter!

Survivalist Water Filter – Make A Bucket Sand & Charcoal Bio filter