February – Emergency Water
The “Get Ready; Stay Ready” campaign is already in its 2nd month now with February focusing on emergency drinking water. Water is, “hands-down,” the single most valuable resource in the days and weeks following a major disaster. Clean potable water will be needed for hydration but may also be used for attending to injuries, personal hygiene, meal preparation and many other purposes.
One of the most common questions asked regarding emergency water is “How much is enough?” The transparent answer to this is that following a major disaster such as a 7.8 earthquake in southern California; a very plausible scenario, it is realistic to anticipate that much of our infrastructure will fail for multiple days or weeks. With that said, it is understandable that many people do not have the space or resources to support this level of emergency preparedness and, therefore, a minimum threshold recommendation has been established as follows: 1 gallon of water per person/per pet; per day for 72 hours taking the following in to account:
• Individual needs vary, depending on age, physical condition, activity, diet and climate.
• Children, nursing mothers and ill people require more water.
• Very hot temperatures can double the amount of water needed.
• A medical emergency might require additional water.
If you are one that is limited to, for whatever reason, the 72-hour-minimum recommendation, then you are highly encouraged to speak with friends, family, support systems, etc. to have them include you in their emergency water planning efforts. This will, at least, provide you a contingency plan if/when your 3-day supply runs dry.
Lastly, let’s discuss where to get & how to manage emergency drinking water. There are a number of different ways you can store & treat emergency water. Some store water loosely in bulk bottles and/or drums that are treated and refilled every six months. See page 9 on the following link for instructions on this approach offered by the American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m4440181_Food_and_Water-English.revised_7-09.pdf Other people stock up on water bottles found at your local grocery store and discard once the expiration date has expired. Either of the aforementioned approaches is fine, however, the UCI Police Department would like to encourage you to consider another approach: 50-year shelf life canned emergency water. It’s called “Blue Can Water” and comes in what’s comparable to your average 12oz soda can. More information on this product can be found at their website @ http://www.bluecanwater.com/ The following are just a couple benefits of going this direction with your emergency water planning efforts:
• You can take it if/when you need to evacuate your home.
• It can be divided and stored in various locations around your home.
• You only have to purchase is once or maybe twice (if you’re lucky ;-) in your lifetime.
• It actually tastes very good.
Ultimately, whatever method works best for you this month, go with that! The bottom line is that you have enough emergency water to support yourself, your family & your pets for a sufficient amount of time following a major event.
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