FEMA tells us we should be prepared for 6 months without power. Yes, 6 months! Are you?!?!? I’m not sure if I am either, but I can say that I am conscious of this fact. So, yes, I do my own prep. Just in case. Not out of fear, or I have mine get away, but because it’s the right thing to do. Why wouldn’t we?!?! It’s only within the past 50-60 years that we have become so reliant upon power that we might struggle to live without it. That’s not too long really.
I’m not going to talk about why we might need to prep for this sort of long time frame without power – the reasons are many. What I do want to talk about is how I’m prepping for my water needs.
#1 – Here in Colorado we were recently given permission to lawfully collect 55 gallons, per household, of our rainwater. Make sure you have a rainwater collection system! Easy! No brainer! Just do it!
#2 – Do you have a method with which to purify said water that has been collected? The resources are many. From straw filters, to water purifying tablets to just plain boiling. Make sure you have a method available to you.
#3 – Store water! I’ve been looking around and considering how many empty water vessels I have. I store my drinking glasses upside down in the cabinet without water in them. Why not store them upside right with water in them. OK, maybe you don’t necessarily want to drink 3 day old water from your cabinet every time you pull down a glass. Which leads me to….
#4 – Reuse water. We’ve had a pitcher next to our sink for as long as I can remember for emptying any water from a used water glass to other, gently used, basically clean sources, into. We use this water to fill our animal dishes, water our plants, etc. It’s a great way to recycle/ reuse water.
Today, I have been looking around and considering what receptacles that are currently being stored could hold water without adding storage or stress. Empty canning jars. Empty coolers. Empty stainless steel water bottles that I use on a regular basis. All of this and more. Empty pitchers. Empty flower vases. Oh my, there are so many places that I could fill with water. Empty 5 gallon buckets stacked with abandon in the garage. Empty cat litter containers. Wow. This list just keeps getting bigger. Off to fill more containers with water…….
In a crisis one will need water well before one will need food. Store water. Store it everywhere while you have it abundantly. FEMA says you may need it for 6 months. Statistically, men should aim for 3.7 liters, or about 125 ounces, which is a little more than 15½ cups of water each day, according to the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine. Women need 2.7 liters daily, which is roughly 91 ounces of water and a little less than 11½ cups. So roughly one gallon per person per day. And that does not include what one needs for cleaning up and cooking with. Nor, if you keep animals for pleasure or food or spiritual or work needs, taking into consideration their needs as well. Oh wait! How in the world does one grow food without a tap to turn on for water?!?! Think about it all………… Consider it all……..
Because…. As we’ve seen in so many scenarios where cultures are fighting for water….. And because of the deep truth…..
WATER IS LIFE!
