You’re assuming that there will be clean water.
I’m not assuming anything.
I have AT LEAST 100 gallons of water stored, and I live in the Pacific northwest where water is not a problem.
And I have gallons of iodine solution and bleach...
Water is one item that is so often over looked in survival planning and yet is one of the most important. That’s one reason why I arranged my Preparedness Manual according to the rule of three:
3 minutes without breathing
3 hours without shelter in an extreme environment
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
This too is in the manual:
From a Sarajevo War Survivor: Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war - death of parents and friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks. 1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold’s.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity - it’s the easiest to do without (unless you’re in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy - it makes a lot of the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs enough heat to “warm”, not to cook. It’s cheap too, especially if you buy it in bulk.
6. Bring some books - escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more valuable as the war continues. Sure, it’s great to have a lot of survival guides, but you’ll figure most of that out on your own anyway - trust me, you’ll have a lot of time on your hands.
7. The feeling that you’re human can fade pretty fast. I can’t tell you how many people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to lose your humanity. These things are morale-
builders like nothing else.
8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches
Clean your own water.
Dip water from most any source, even roadside pits. Filter it through a cloth to get the big debris and if further straining is needed, run it through a coffee filter. Then to each gallon add a few drops of Clorox and let it stand over night. The amount of Clorox to use can be found using Google. I have the amount information written on a Clorox bottle with a Marks-a-Lot, but I’m not home to check it.
You’re assuming that there will be clean water.
This gizmo runs on batteries and will make sure you don’t get the runs. It’s great for camping or traveling to other countries:
http://search.gandermountain.com/?D=Steri+Pen&Nty=1&N=0&Dk=0&Ntt=Steri+Pen
I suggest you get a model that takes AA batteries instead of the other type.
Speaking of which, the portable 'Katadyne' filter is amazingly impressive. It has a .2 micron pore size, which means the water it produces is classified as 'steralized'. It has other very attractive features as well. Here's a link: http://tinyurl.com/mt7ywz
Also, when it comes to purifying water, two things to research are rain barrels and calcium hypochlorite. HINT: Don't count on using fire wood to boil water for purification.