Oh my gosh Metmom....Did I ever get a lesson in preparing yesturday...even for the very basic!
I had emptied all my stored water because it was time and had put off refilling. Low and behold I woke yesturday morning to no water from the tap as one of the towns main water lines had a serious burst, the soonest they gave for repair was 9:00 that night!
First thing I kicked myself for not filling the water containers....so of course I couldn’t even make a pot of coffee or dare to flush the John. So of course my thoughts went to ‘buying’ gallons of water at the store nearby....which would do.
But the experience sure made me think how unprepared I really was! What would I do if I went to the store and they were already sold out of water! What if they wouldn’t have the water on for weeks! The what!
It sure did wake me up how ‘FAST’ your circumstances can change.....we are so dependent on “stores”....and our community “supplying” our needs.
There’s a reality check for you. Chances are, once everyone else realized that the water was off, there would be no water to be had for love or money. They’d have been sold out by the time you got there.
In the town we used to live in had regular power outages. We lived in an area of a few blocks that had old service and it went out 2-3 times a year for long enough to need the generator for the fridge.
Not counting ice storms and the NE blackout, and the furnace giving up the ghost once and the promised the next day part not coming in for a week.
Plus, here, once we get nailed with a nor-easter or a good lake effect event and they declare a state of emergency, it can be days before things get cleared out and I can get to the store.
I’ve learned to be prepared.
If you store city treated potable water in a food grade container that is protected from bright light there is no need to change it out. The water should last forever under the proper storage conditions.
It the stored water needs aerating to keep it from tasting flat pour it back and forth through a sieve or clean screen wire. If you want to be extra sure of its safety heat it to at least 195 F degrees. That will destroy any living organism. A good rule is to bring it to a boil and then let it cool. It doesn’t need to boil for any period of time. You can also add a few drops of chlorine bleach to it and let it stand for half an hour before drinking.
Unless the water has had a poison added to it you will suffer no ill effects from its usage after boiling it.