Posted on 06/13/2011 8:40:08 AM PDT by Kartographer
Get a kit.” “Make a plan.” “Be informed.” For years, Evonne Richards had seen the signs and read the messages urging her to prepare for an emergency.
A mother of four, she found it easy to push off the task. After all, the only threat that seemed likely in the landlocked 21 acres where the family had lived 27 years was a house fire.
In September, she finally printed off the checklist from ready.gov. She stockpiled about 60 gallons of water in empty milk and juice containers, adding a dash of bleach to each.
She bought a three-day supply of dried beans, brown rice, oatmeal and raisins. She stored gas for their generator, fuel for the camping stove and extra batteries.
Then came April 27, late evening. Richards, her husband, Bill, and youngest son, Ellis, watched their computer as storms moved in. Their three oldest children were not home.
Richards walked over to the door and opened it.
“Something seems weird,” she told her husband.
He screamed, “Get under the stairs.”
In seconds, the tornado twisted and tossed thousands of tree missiles, cascading them like dominoes into the living room and across the driveway. The whirlwind wiped out dozens of their neighbors’ homes
(Excerpt) Read more at timesfreepress.com ...
Got a couple of clean, food-grade 5 or 6-gallon plastic buckets with lids? $30 on this one [video and description at the link]
I live in an area where a slimy pink bacteria forms in any water left standing for more than a couple of days. Keeping it in an enclosed container might lessen the slime.
After posting I went back to read more on the bladder and wha’d’ya know, there was a link to that very filter. Looks like a great idea — a summer homeschool project just waiting to be made.
How much bleach do you use per gallon?
Well, if there are two of you, for example, you might want more water to be able to make it more than the 12-15 days that 40 gallons will buy you.
Many of us believe the disaster that is coming will last for months - maybe years. For example if the Great Depression were to happen today we would be in for some very serious pain (and that idea is being batted around by some pretty smart/informed people these days).
Do you know how to make water from open streams safe to drink? I know that ground water is not safe but in an emergency situation would it be possible to make it drinkable?
Zombie Apocalypse approaching, put me on the list, please.
I like farmer supply outfits. They have potable water containers in many sizes. White ones need to be protected from the sun so they don’t grow algae, and green ones too. Hub painted one with dark camo design to prevent the algae and plus it “blends in”. We have (IIRC) about a 1400 one and a 1000 gallon, plus an 800 gallon stainless steel that used to be a milk container, for drinking water. And these - old juice containers with aluminum framing, some come with a built on wooden pallet on the bottom. They seem to be made in Germany, they have a spigot, and they come in around 100 to 18o gallon sizes. We’ve had a few of them, I think we only have one now, I’d like more. They’re definitely easier than those huge ones, especially for people not on acreage.
First, gross filtration- get the twigs, dirt and other organic and nonorganic junk out of it. Then run it through a straining filter, which can be several feet of sand in a piece of PVC plastic water pipe, a Berkey or other ceramic filter, or anything of the like. At this point, most of the microbiological material should be removed and you can move onto the final stage. Boiling works. So does exposure to sunlight[SODIS], or chemical treatment with bleach or HtH, as described above.
That's probablt as good as you'll need, and likely the best you can do under field expedient conditions. It probably won't do in the event of serious industrial or military contamination of the water supply with toxins or heavy metals, but unless you can test for the presence of such hard-core contaminants, there's little else you can do anyway. Do the best you can, and pick a *designated drinker* to go first as the guinea pig for your family or group.
More: read this, then watch this.
Berkefeld water filters are my favorite and they will purify pond water, puddle water, etc. They now have fancier ones than when I bought mine, that will get out most pesticides and other chemicals that the regular ones may not.
They have a variety of sizes, too. An outfit called Pleasant Hill Grains has the best prices I’ve seen and good customer service (last I got anything from them). I don’t have a link but you can easily find it with a search.
For water that may be in storage for a while (maybe a month or more) we use about 8 drops per gallon. We aren't always exact but have never had a bottle or jug go bad. OTH, we do store the water away from the light.
For water that will be used in a short time or water stored in a freezer we don't use any bleach.
When using water that has been treated with bleach we try to let it sit in an open top pitcher or other container for a while before drinking.
During the storm season we try to keep any empty space in the freezer filled with water bottles - any size we have that fits.
If you are on city water, shut the outside water feed valve off to eliminate any possibility of water from your house draining back into the distribution system as the pressure drops.
Open a faucet and leave it open, preferably one on a second floor if you have one. This will prevent a vacuum lock by letting air in the system as you drain water out.
Drain the water from the water heater through the drain valve on the bottom of the heater.
If there is some sediment in the water just filter it out before drinking the water.
Paper coffee filters do a good job of filtering water.
How to Build a Very Effective Water Filter System for Approximately $75
DONE
Water Buffalos are great.
Iodine Tablets are what the Army sometimes uses.
You might want to try that sometime; it’s not as easy as it sounds, especially if the heater is several years old and hasn’t been drained on a regular basis.
Various forms of iodine can be used to purify dirty water but it is better to stay away from it if other methods are available.
Iodine can do severe damage to your kidneys.
>Various forms of iodine can be used to purify dirty water but it is better to stay away from it if other methods are available.
>
>Iodine can do severe damage to your kidneys.
And wasn’t it to prevent goiters that it was added to table-salt?
{Though “forms” are very important; the “form” of salt, without which you would die, is utterly different than its components: Chlorine and Sodium.}
Zombie Apocalypse approaching, put me on the list, please.
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