Practical Disaster Prepping, Part 4
We can live over three weeks without food, some of us a bit longer, but only about three days without water. Almost any major disaster can shut down municipal water. Even if the waterlines and tanks are intact, without the power grid the pumps fail and water tower tanks empty quickly.
For drinking, we need at least one gallon per person per day. In PART 1 of this series, we covered using the water in your hot water heater. However, some people have tankless water heaters or live in apartments without access to their water heater. Disaster Prepping For Dummies covers several ways to make sure you have enough water, from stockpiling to rain catchment, but it also highlights unique disaster preparation products. To maintain objectivity, I accept no product sponsorships, not even free products. I also avoid using brand names whenever possible. The only exceptions are products that are truly unique or I researched and bought with my own money.
Here’s one example. Many of us are familiar with filling our bathtub with water during a disaster. When water pressure is lost, the bathtub water can be used to flush toilets or for cleaning. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t drink this water without treating it because bathtubs aren’t sterile. Even if they’re cleaned, the water can be contaminated by anything from the nearby flushing of a toilet to a sneeze. A very clever and inexpensive solution is a plastic water bladder that fits inside your bathtub called WaterBOB®. It holds 100 gallons and keeps the water from touching the bathtub surface or being exposed to the air. It also has a manual pump that allows pumping the water out as needed and last time I checked was $35 online. The downside is the bathtub can no longer be used for baths but without water pressure we’re not going to be taking a lot of showers. Regardless, you should still stockpile water in case pressure is lost before you can fill the tub. The 2.5-gallon plastic containers, carried by some grocery stores, are a good option. They have a handle on top and a spigot on the bottom. They’re easy to use and move, and they’re stackable.
In this series, I can’t fit all the hacks and unique products from the 386 pages of Disaster Prepping For Dummies. I know the size and price of “For Dummies” books can be intimidating, but you don’t have to read them cover to cover. Each chapter is designed to stand on its own, so just read the chapters you’re interested in or apply to your situation. As for cost, authors don’t get to set the price, but this book also comes in a digital version that’s 40% less than the print version, and can be stored on laptops, tablets or phones. As covered in Part 3, your cell phone is one of the most important devices in a disaster and having a digital copy of Disaster Prepping For Dummies on it makes sure you always have it at hand.
