Don't take Clean Tap Water for Granted, Take Action - Protect Your Family

Does the headline "The U.S. Nears the Limits of Its Water Supplies" get your attention. See the article by Shiney Varghese from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

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Public water systems are failing, several states are setting severe water use restrictions, and key water sources are drying up.

by Concerned Resident, October 21, 2007

Updated October 30, 2007
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I just read another article, this one by Mary MacDonald of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.  It was titled "Better Safe Than Thirsty, Say Atlantan's Stockpiling Water!".  The article went on to indicate that it is not widespread yet, but families are starting to buy extra water in bulk.  I believe this is a good idea since most people don't have the recommended stockpile for normal natural /manmade disasters.

My Original Article
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On Saturday, October 20, 2007, Brenda Goodman of the New York Times wrote an article with the sub head of "An emergency-level drought has taken the Southeast by surprise, and water supplies are drying up".  When you read that you should have a "someone kicked me in the Gut" response.  It seems that most of the country, outside the Southeast, seems to appreciate the gravity of this situation.  I'm sure the Governor and other state officials are alarmed, but they are moving at slow motion to head off the approaching disaster.

As a Father, Mother, Son or Daughter, how exactly should you respond to this situation?  There is plenty of blame about why something wasn't done sooner, and those are important topics, but the purpose of this short article is much more tactical in nature.  Here is what you need to learn and do "Right Now" to make sure your immediate family is not seriously harmed by this emergency.

There are three things you need to do right now!  Don't put this off for another week.  They are :

#1 - Begin to store drinking water for your immediate family (you may want to store some extra for your oblivious neighbors).  The Government recommends that you have at least 1 gallon of water per person/ per day.  I recommend that you double that estimate and store at least 2 gallons per family member per day.  I also recommend that you store at least 7 days worth of water.  So for a family of 4, that would equal storing 56 gallons of clean water.  That may seem like a lot, but it isn't if you do a little every day.  At the bottom of this article you will find a link to a website that contains valuable information and emergency water products.

#2 - Prepare an emergency plan for ways to obtain water if your sources run out or you have to leave your home and cannot carry the supplies you have stored.  The Red Cross has an excellent document entitled "Food and Water in an Emergency", which covers different ways to find water and disinfect it before drinking.  There is a link to this article on the website that is mentioned at the bottom of this article.  If you have the financial resources, you should consider purchasing some portable commercial filters that could be used when  camping with your family, but could also be a life saver if you find that you need to get water from an outdoor source that must be purified before drinking.

#3 - Once you have prepared your family for a disaster situation, you can then think about ways to cut down and conserve water for the long haul.  There is a lot of information out there, and I'm certain that local governments will begin to talk more about ways to conserve.  In fact, given the magnitude of this situation, I suspect that mandatory water rationing may be right around the corner.

What next?

Listen to your local officials, but TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN FAMILY.  You can get important information about what to do at http://www.atlanta-water-crisis.com .  That site also provides links to purchase both in house and portable water filtration systems, and many other emergency water items.