Prepping Challenges 1 Thru 10--Water

This week's prepping challenges to get your ready for anything: having enough stored water to see you through an emergency.

#1--You have enough stored water for two weeks for you and your family.  At one gallon per person per day, if it is just you, that would be 14 gallons of stored water (or three of those five gallon water jugs you can get filled up at your local store for a couple of bucks).  For a family of four that would be 56 gallons (about 11 of those five gallon water jugs you can get filled up at your local store).

#2--You have at least a case of water in your vehicle.  This is simple.  For a couple of bucks you can buy a case of bottled water which you can keep in your vehicle for emergencies.

#3--You have went out and actually found sources of emergency water in your community.  This can be a river, a lake, a stream, a seep, an abandoned well, a cistern, etc.  In desert areas this can be a particular challenge (some ideas here).  BTW, while you are at this water source, collect up a bottle of the water.

#4--You know how to purify water for emergency use.  In fact you have actually used and actually practiced purifying water with a variety of methods.  You can practice on the water you collected in challenge #3.

#5--You always have a bottle of water in your daily carry bag.  Never get caught without water--from drinking purposes to using it to get the pepper spray out of your eyes--you should always have a bottle of water with you.

#6--You have a case of water in your office/work area.  Your co-workers may think you are weird (or brilliant depending on where you work) but if a disaster happens at work, you will need water there just as much as you need it at home.

#7--You go to the store and buy a couple of bottles of water, drink the water, then put the empty bottles with your travel gear.  Get sturdy bottles like AquaFina or Gatorade bottles as these hold up much better than thin, flimsy bottles.  Once you get through airport security, fill up the bottles with water (many airports now have filtered water fountains for just this purpose) and you are good to go.

#8--You have practiced making a solar still.  There are numerous videos on how to do this and while it probably won't provide you much water, it is an interesting experiment nonetheless.

#9--You have several "water tanks" available to fill in an emergency.  These can be actual water storage jugs, large plastic garbage cans, a water barrel which collects rain water, empty plastic soda bottles, etc.  If you know an emergency is coming, fill these and any other containers up for emergency use later.

#10--You practice general water conservation on a normal day but can ratchet that up x100 in a disaster.  You can use a gallon of water to brush your teeth if you let the tap water run while you are brushing.  On the other hand, you can use a tablespoon or so to brush your teeth if you are pouring it out of a water bottle and are conserving water as much as possible.  Lot's more ideas here, here, and here.

And a few more things about water during a disaster here, here, and here.

*** Be sure to rotate your stored water regularly!