Get Ready for Extreme Weather: Week 12
Shelter in Place – 3 Day Water Storage
Shelter in place is about ensuring that you can meet your family’s basic needs for a set amount of time without needing to go out and buy things. Emergency experts talk about a 3-day minimum survival kit, but you can choose to plan for longer. A week or two weeks, It’s up to you.
We’ll be working on 3 days of supplies. We will look at water needs, food needs, a home first aid kit, tools you may need if your home has been damaged, and entertainment/comfort supplies.
Saving Water
Why, when we live in a city with great water, in a state with a lot of lakes and rivers, should we even think about saving water? Well, we’ve had plenty of real-life examples in the past decade. Rogers, Robbinsdale, East Metro, Downtown Minneapolis, Duluth, Rosemount, Wayzata, Woodbury – all of these communities had water mains break and people were without water for several hours – or longer. Additionally, floods can overwhelm water systems, contaminating the water supply.
Be Prepared
Save a minimum of 3 days worth of water for each person (and pet) in your household. How much is that? 1 gallon per person per day and 1/2 gallon per animal. If you have already stored this amount, consider increasing your supply to 2 weeks.
You can buy the amount of bottled water you need, or you can bottle your own supply. See the Do 1 Thing website for instructions on how to safely prepare water for storage.
Rather than multiple small bottles, you may want to use one or more large water storage containers. The Prepared website has reviewed a variety of container options.
If you have freezer space, consider freezing part of your water supply. The advantage of this is if the power goes out, the ice can keep the food in your freezer cold for longer.
