Part of good emergency preparedness plan for a family household should include water storage and knowledge of it’s purification. This downloadable six page pdf covers many different aspects and options of water storage.
A good rule of thumb is to store at least one gallon per person per day for drinking but you should double that for hot weather conditions or higher altitudes. A family of four should store a minimum of 12 gallons of water for three days.
Each pet should also have a gallon of water per day.
You will want to add more water per day for cooking, personal hygiene, washing dishes and sanitation .
It is better to have more water than less.
Stored tap water should be rotated every 6 months. Prepackaged bottled water should be rotated once a year. Store containers in a cool dark place. Do not store in direct sunlight.
If you do not store water for your family and an emergency occurs – here are a few last ditch options:
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Drain water from your plumbing system
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Open the drain valve at the bottom of the water heater and salvage the water stored in the heater – it holds thirty to sixty gallons.
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Rainwater, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and natural springs – you must treat water before drinking.
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As a last resort, you can use water in the reservoir tank of your toilet but not the bowl.
Click here to read about Water Storage and Purification:
http://www.connorboyack.com/drop/water.pdf
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