I promised you a "simple" bite of the preparedness elephant each week and I am going to stick with that. There is so-o-o-o much that could be written about water storage alone, but doing so would give each of you a severe case of paralyzed momentum; not exactly the "we can do this!" result I am looking for. Therefore, let's bottom line the most important pieces of information from last week's article on Water Storage:

•   1 gallon of water per person per day
•   Cheapest way to get it: 2 liter bottles that have been washed, rinsed, dried, filled to the top with tap water, and screw on cleaned bottle caps
•   Purchase gallons of water from the store, flats of quart bottled water, and/or 5, 10, 30, 50, 100 gallon water tanks
•   Have water that is portable if you need to evacuate (Put it in back-packs, cars, campers, wagons, etc)

How did you do last week? Just remember, start with storing a week's worth of water for your family. When that is done, add another, and another. Trust me; you cannot have TOO MUCH water on hand. If your water should become contaminated or inaccessible due to a natural disaster, you will be on your own. Did anyone see the movie "Contagion" with Matt Damon? Rent it. Yes, it was worst case scenario, but it was just the kick in the preparedness pants that I needed to remind me how easily the "status quo" can disintegrate in a disaster.

Today:
1. Knowing how to shut off your water
2. Alternative water sources
3. Using ION for purification

Shutting off Your Water and Using it after a Disaster
After any kind of national disaster or water contamination crisis, know how to immediately shut off the water supply as well as the main gas valve to your home using a wrench. Gather the family together one evening and teach everyone how to do this. You can't assume that you will all be together when and if a disaster hits. To keep our own family from looking like a frantic Three Stooges movie - running around trying to find a wrench while the house is still shaking - my husband used a heavy duty cord to tie a cheap wrench to the pipe and then kept it there.

After shutting off the water, you can drain the pipes and collect the water that is left in your water lines. Just turn on the faucet that is located in the highest room of the house to let air into the lines. Draw the water from the lowest faucet of the house.

Other Sources for Water:
The water in the hot water heater is available for use. Be sure to shut off the incoming water or intake valve to prevent the contaminated water from mixing with the safe water. To take water out of the tank, open the drain valve. A hose can be attached to this valve and the water drained into containers. You can purchase inexpensive lengths of hose at any hardware store.

The water in the tank of the toilet, not the bowl, can be scooped out and used if needed. If this makes you a little queasy, although it is perfectly safe to drink, use this water for washing, and cleaning, saving your bottles for drinking.

Liquids for drinking can also come from canned fruits, juices, vegetables and soft drinks, or anything that has been water-packed in the canning process.

If you purchase a collection barrel from a farm store, ($30-$40), snow can be melted and rain water can be used. If you plan to drink this water, be sure to disinfect it using bleach or ION (see below), or boil for 5 minutes to kill any bacteria.

Swimming pools or spas contain treated water. Boil it before using. Lakes, streams, ponds, rivers and ditches contain water that can be used if it is clarified (sieve it through a coffee filter or cloth) and treated. But remember that if YOU know where the lakes, streams ponds, etc. are, so do the thousands of other people living in your neighborhood. Don't count on using any of these water sources over the long-term.

ION Water Purification Drops
(Disclaimer: I don't work for or receive any "kick-back" from any of the sites I may recommend)

While I have talked about using bleach to disinfect water, I have been reading along about ION lately. ION is a stabilized oxygen product that has been found to be very effective in water treatment. Many studies have been done on this product and it is concluded that ION will kill giardia, cholera and dysentery within a few minutes. While using a few drops of chlorine in the water (see last week's article), may leave a "taste", ION does not.

ION has a high concentration of oxygen which kills harmful bacteria. Without going into all of the science behind it, pathogens or infectious microorganisms in the water cannot survive in the presence of oxygen. One bottle of ION will treat 110 gallons of water. To use, add 20 drops of ION to a gallon of water.

Because ION is nontoxic, it can also be used directly on wounds to kill any harmful bacteria. Have some in your medical kit, back-pack, or keep a bottle in your purse.

Two Sources for ION:

1. CountryLivingMills.com (Go to "Store" link, then scroll down to "Other Items" where ION liquid can be found

2. ProvidentLiving.com

Country Living Mills reduces the price from $16.95 per bottle down to $11.95 for larger quantities. Provident Living may do the same if you contact them. Get family members, or neighbors together to get a bulk discount rate.

I do hope that if any of our DVO readers have any additional ideas, comments, or questions that you will get in touch with me. Remember, sharing is fun!

Next Week - Emergency 72 Hour Kits