WATER.
WATER IS THE NUMBER ONE NEED HUMANS HAVE AFTER OXYGEN.
WE CANNOT SURVIVE OVER A FEW DAYS WITHOUT IT.
A HUMAN BEING NEEDS TO HAVE A GALLON OF WATER PER DAY FOR DRINKING AND PERSONAL HYGIENE PURPOSES.
HOT WEATHER, DOING HARD MANUAL LABOR, AND SOME HUMAN ILLNESSES INCREASE THAT NEED.
WE TAKE IT FOR GRANTED HERE IN AMERICA THAT WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE AN UNENDING SUPPLY OF CLEAN WATER.
WE SHOULDN'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED!
IN CASE OF A GLOBAL CATASTROPHE, IN CASE THE GRID GOES DOWN AND WE ARE FACED WITH WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND CIVILIZATION AS WE NOW KNOW IT, WATER WILL BE WORTH MORE THAN GOLD AND ALL THE GOLD IN THE WORLD WILL NOT BE ENOUGH TO BUY WATER.
SURFACE WATER MAY BE TOO CONTAMINATED FOR USE.
RIVERS, CREEKS, LAKES, PONDS, RESERVOIRS, EVEN SOME SHALLOW WELLS WILL BE UNFIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.
EVEN RAIN WATER MAY NOT BE SAFE TO DRINK, AND, TRULY, IS IT SAFE EVEN NOW?
WHAT THEN?
THEN, WE WILL HAVE TO TURN TO SOURCES OF WATER FROM DEEPER UNDERGROUND SUCH AS ARTESIAN SPRINGS, DEEP WELLS, UNDERGROUND RIVER CHANNELS, PLACES SUCH AS DEEP CAVES THAT HAVE WATER SUPPLIES THAT WON'T BE CONTAMINATED BY THINGS GOING ON ABOVE-GROUND.
DO YOU KNOW THE LOCATIONS OF SUCH RESOURCES?
CAN YOU ACCESS THEM FROM WHERE YOU ARE?
WOULD YOU KNOW HOW TO STORE WATER IF YOU COULD FIND SOME?
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO FILTER OR TREAT WATER TO MAKE IT POTABLE, i.e. SAFE FOR HUMANS?
WOULD YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WATER EACH PERSON NEEDS TO BE HEALTHY?
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO CONSERVE YOUR NEED FOR WATER, OR COULD YOU ENFORCE RATIONING WITHIN YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS CIRCLE IF IT CAME TO THAT?
FEW OF US ARE AS FAMILIAR WITH OUR SURROUNDINGS AS WE MUST BE IN ORDER TO SURVIVE IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY.
NOW, TODAY, NOT TOMORROW OR NEXT WEEK, IS THE TIME TO BEGIN TO FIND OUT WHERE WE MIGHT LOCATE WATER AND FOOD SHOULD THOSE TWO NECESSITIES BECOME UNAVAILABLE TO US AS THEY ARE NOW.
WATER.
WHERE IS IT?
Below is a link to a site that may direct you to the locations of underground water in your area.
SEE: http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es1406/es1406page10.cfm
THESE UNDERGROUND AQUIFERS PROVIDE ONLY 30% OF AMERICA'S WATER SUPPLY.
KNOWING WHERE THEY ARE IS CRUCIAL.
AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE ON THIS TOPIC OF GROUNDWATER LOCATIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE:
http://www.ngwa.org/fundamentals/hydrology/pages/confined-or-artesian-groundwater.aspx
A WEBSITE WITH A FEW ARTESIANS SPRINGS LISTED BY SELECTING YOUR STATE FROM A DROP-DOWN MENU CAN BE FOUND HERE:
http://www.findaspring.com/category/locations/north-america/usa/
THE SITE ALSO ALLOWS ANYONE TO SUBMIT A SPRING'S LOCATION.
I KEEP HOPING THE LISTS WILL GROW FOR ALL STATES.
IT ALSO LISTS SPRINGS ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE.
I HAVE FOUND THAT A GOOGLE SEARCH USING THE WORDS "LOCATIONS OF ARTESIAN SPRINGS IN ____" (FILL IN THE BLANK WITH YOUR STATE'S NAME) YIELDS GOOD RESULTS.
AND BY CLICKING ON THE NATIONAL MAP FOUND HERE,
http://www.ngwa.org/Professional-Resources/state-info/Pages/default.aspx
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE TYPES AND LOCATIONS OF MAJOR AQUIFERS IN YOUR STATE.
PERHAPS A BETTER RESOURCE THAN EVEN THESE IS LOCAL PEOPLE WHOSE FAMILIES HAVE LIVED FOR GENERATIONS IN YOUR AREA.
SEVERAL LOCAL PEOPLE HERE WERE ABLE TO TELL US WHERE ARTESIAN SPRINGS WERE LOCATED, AND EVEN WHICH ONES OFFERED THE "BEST-TASTING" WATER.
THESE SPRINGS RISE UP FROM DEEP BELOW AND PROVIDE WATER EVEN IN "DRY PERIODS".
ASK AROUND, GO TO YOUR COUNTY EXTENSION AGENTS, CALL ON THE RESOURCES OFFERED BY YOUR STATE'S UNIVERSITIES, STATE AGENCIES THAT MONITOR SUCH SPRINGS AND WELLS.
BUT GATHER INFORMATION NOW, TODAY, AS SOON AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT COMPUTERS, THE INTERNET, WILL BE OF LITTLE USE IF THE GRID GOES DOWN.
EVEN IF YOU DEPEND ON SOLAR ENERGY TO POWER-UP YOUR COMPUTER, CHARGE YOUR PHONES, iPADS, ETC, THOSE WHO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES MAY NOT BE ABLE TO OPERATE IN A GRID-DOWN SCENARIO.
IF THEY CAN'T "SEND", YOU CAN'T "RECEIVE".
FIND, AND THEN PRINT OUT, THE INFORMATION YOU NEED.
IF THERE IS NO FREE DATA AVAILABLE FOR PRINT-OUT, BUY HARD COPIES OF MAPS, DIRECTIONS, DATA ON WHAT WATER SUPPLIES ARE AVAILABLE WHERE YOU LIVE.
KEEP SUCH HARD COPIES IN A SAFE PLACE, PREFERABLY IN WATERPROOF AND FIRE-PROOF CONTAINERS, SOMETHING YOU CAN TOSS INTO A BAG AND TAKE WITH YOU SHOULD YOU HAVE TO EVACUATE.
AS I GO ALONG WITH THIS SERIES, I AM COMPILING AN EXTENSIVE LIST OF FREE ARTICLES, MANUALS, BOOKS, DOWNLOADS, THINGS USEFUL FOR SURVIVAL, COMMON SENSE, SIMPLE INSTRUCTION, ETC. i WILL POST THAT LIST AS SOON AS I AM CONVINCED IT IS COMPLETE.
WATER FILTRATION AND TREATMENT.
FINDING WATER IS ONE THING, MAKING SURE IT'S SAFE TO DRINK IS ANOTHER.
NATURE DOES A GOOD JOB OF FILTERING DEEP WATER, BUT IN OUR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT, MANY POLLUTANTS EXIST THAT MAKE IT NECESSARY FOR US TO FILTER DRINKING WATER.
THE BEST FILTERS ON EARTH WON'T REMOVE RADIATION!
HOWEVER, WATER FROM DEEPER SOURCES WON'T NECESSARILY CONTAIN RADIATION FROM SURFACE NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS.
WE FILTER FOR ORGANISMS THAT COULD BE FATAL TO A HUMAN BEING, AND WE FILTER FOR NATURALLY OCCURRING ELEMENTS FOUND IN WATER THAT MAY BE TOO MUCH FOR US TO HANDLE IN LARGE AMOUNTS.
THE BEST WATER FILTERS
NO, NOT those you attach to your kitchen faucets!
NO, NOT the ones you attach to lines coming into your home!
YOU WILL NEED A PORTABLE FILTRATION SYSTEM, SOMETHING LIGHT ENOUGH TO CARRY, AND, PREFERABLY, ONE FOR EVERY MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY OR "SURVIVAL UNIT":
A testing of the 17 best-selling personal filtration/treatment systems shows the "winners" and runners-up on this website:
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Backpacking-Water-Filter-Reviews
Look over SEVERAL reviews online and decide for yourselves which is right for you.
I WILL NOT SUGGEST ANY.
I MIGHT BE WRONG.
HOWEVER, I WILL NOTE THAT THEY FAILED TO TEST (OR OFFER RESULTS OF) THE BERKEY WATER FILTERS.
(Berkey filtration is extremely simple and effective and come in several sizes. Here is a review of those by someone who is NOT selling them, and presents "the good and the bad" equally: <click here>)
YES, THERE ARE WAYS GIVEN IN VIDEO AFTER VIDEO ON YOUTUBE FOR "NATURAL WATER FILTRATION IN AN EMERGENCY", BUT AFTER YOU HAVE A LOOK AT THOSE, MAYBE YOU'LL STILL WANT A PORTABLE DEVICE.
THE DOWNSIDE TO ALL PORTABLE WATER FILTRATION SYSTEMS IS FILTER REPLACEMENT IN THE CASE OF "ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE".
IN THAT CASE, WHERE WOULD ANYONE HOPE TO FIND REPLACEMENTS FOR MUCH OF ANYTHING AFTER THE INITIAL PANIC AND LOOTING?
THEREFORE, DO STUDY SOME OF THE "NATURAL WAYS" TO ACCOMPLISH AT LEAST SOME FILTRATION.
WATER PURIFICATION METHODS
A fair website for more on filtration versus purification and some good articles on both is
http://www.practicalsurvivor.com/waterfiltration
That will give you some fundamentals on those topics.
Water treatment can be as simple as BOILING water for a few minutes, but what if smoke from a fire is NOT something you'd want some to see?
BOIL WATER FOR AT LEAST ONE FULL MINUTE AT A "ROLLING BOIL", BUT AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 6,000 feet, BOIL FOR 3 FULL MINUTES.
Boiling will NOT remove pesticides, OR petroleum products, two common pollutants in surface water.
ALWAYS LET BOILED WATER COOL DOWN COMPLETELY.
YOU CAN SUFFER DIRE CONSEQUENCES FROM DRINKING AN EXCESS OF, OR IN SOME CASES, ANY HOT WATER.
DISTILLATION is, at times, if you have a lot of time, better than boiling in that you capture condensed water instead of using surface water.
A very simple method called the "solar still" can be utilized almost anywhere.
A no-nonsense article and how-to about solar stills can be found here:
http://www.practicalsurvivor.com/solarstill
One of my most favorite websites also shows how to utilize a non-solar distillery.
Go here for that: http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-distill-clean-drinking-water-in-emergency/
Instructables.com has instructions on things you may not believe are possible to accomplish, and look for their videos on Youtube.
They also have published books of "how-tos".
Distillation is a slow process and doesn't yield high volumes of potable water quickly.
Next come CHEMICAL PURIFIERS, if one feels comforted by the word CHEMICAL.
Common chemicals used to treat water:
* Iodine
* tablets
* crystals
* tincture of iodine
[SPECIAL NOTE: for many years now, you may have noticed how almost impossible it is to find and buy liquid iodine, that old standby of medicine cabinets all across America.
I've wondered why but have found no satisfactory answer that I absolutely trust. Bottles of iodine are very rare.
BETADINE SHOULD NOT EVER BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR IODINE! ]
* Sodium Chlorite / Chlorine Dioxide
* Potassium Permanganate
* Chlor-floc
NONE OF THESE ARE REALLY RELIABLE, BUT DO BEAT NO WATER TREATMENT....BARELY!
They can be purchased at all outdoors shops, online, and a few are even available at the dreaded Walmart stores.
Some parasites may not be killed using this method.
Purification capability can ALSO be reduced by several factors:
* Temperature of the water
* Clarity of water
* Tablet expiration date
PROPERLY STORING WATER
Just about any container that once held food, juice or water can be thoroughly cleaned and used to store more water.
THEY MUST BE "SQUEAKY CLEAN"!
4 steps to clean and sanitize storage containers:
1-Wash the storage container with dishwashing soap and water and rinse completely with clean water.
2- Sanitize the container by adding a solution made by mixing 1 teaspoon of UNSCENTED, UNSCENTED, UNSCENTED liquid household chlorine bleach in one quart of water.
3- Cover the container and shake it well so that the sanitizing bleach solution touches all inside surfaces of the container.
4- Wait at least 30 seconds and then pour the sanitizing solution out of the container.
Let the empty sanitized container air-dry before use OR, if you MUST quickly fill the containers, rinse the empty container with clean, safe water that is already available.
Avoid using the following containers to store safe water:
~Containers that cannot be sealed tightly
~Containers that can break, such as glass bottles
~Containers that have ever been used for any toxic solid or liquid chemicals (includes old bleach containers)
~Plastic or cardboard bottles, jugs, and containers used for milk.
For proper water storage,
~ Label each container as "drinking water" and include storage date.
IF YOU DON'T DO THIS AND IF YOU DON'T USE THESE CONTAINERS ONLY FOR DRINKING WATER, YOU MAY BE RISKING LIVES!
~ Replace stored water that is not commercially bottled every six months.
HOWEVER, IF YOU OPEN A BOTTLE OF WATER AND IT "SMELLS/TASTES FUNNY", DISCARD IT. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!
~ Keep stored water in a place with as fairly constant cool temperature as you can find.
~ Do not store water containers in direct sunlight.
~ Do not store water containers in areas where toxic substances such as gasoline (ANY petroleum products!) or pesticides were or are present.
FIND WATER, MAKE IT SAFE TO DRINK, STORE IT.
WHAT ABOUT WATER RATIONING?
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOUR CHILD OR ANYONE YOU CARE FOR BEGGED FOR MORE WATER THAN YOU KNOW IS NECESSARY FOR SURVIVAL?
WHAT ABOUT OTHERS WHO MIGHT WANT TO TAKE THE WATER YOU HAVE?
I WILL NOT PRESUME TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU "OUGHT" TO DO IN THESE SITUATIONS.
THESE ARE QUESTIONS ALL OF US WILL HAVE TO ANSWER FOR OURSELVES.
WHATEVER YOU DECIDE, MAKE YOUR DECISION KNOWN.
IF ALL HELL DOES BREAK LOOSE, WE OWE IT TO ONE ANOTHER WITHIN OUR IMMEDIATE CIRCLE TO SPEAK UP AND STATE WHERE WE STAND, AND HOW WE INTEND TO ENFORCE OUR DECISIONS.
TO SUDDENLY ANNOUNCE THE "RULES" YOU FEEL MUST BE APPLIED CAN CREATE UGLY SITUATIONS AND WE'LL ALL HAVE ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT FURTHER "SURPRISES".
IN CLOSING THIS "PART 2", LET ME REMIND YOU THAT YOU WILL ALSO NEED WATER TO GROW FOOD...PART 3 IN THIS SERIES.
IF WATER IS SCARCE WHERE YOU ARE, IF, IN ORDER TO HAVE A SMALL GARDEN ONCE THINGS "ARE WHAT THEY ARE", AFTER SOME OF THE DUST HAS SETTLED, YOU FIND YOU'D HAVE TO HAUL WATER FOR LONG DISTANCES IN ORDER TO GROW NOURISHMENT FOR YOU AND OTHERS WITH YOU, THEN YOU MAY WANT TO RECONSIDER WHERE YOU PUT DOWN EVEN TEMPORARY ROOTS.
FOOD CAN BE GROWN WHICH IS WATERED WITH "GRAY" WATER...WATER WE'VE USED TO BATHE IN OR WASH CLOTHES IN, SO LONG AS WE DON'T USE ANYTHING BUT PLAIN SOAP.
WATER WITH EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS OF BLEACH CAN KILL SOME PLANTS.
AND, IF WE HOPE TO HAVE FOOD ANIMALS IN THE FUTURE AFTER A DISASTER, WE MUST PROVIDE WATER FOR THEM AS WELL.
IF FAMILY PETS ARE SURVIVING WITHIN YOUR CIRCLE, THEY MUST HAVE WATER TO LIVE, SAME AS YOU.
WATER WILL BE USED IN COOKING AND CLEANING.
MAINTAINING CLEANLINESS IS VITAL TO SURVIVAL.
THINGS AND HUMANS MUST BE CLEAN TO PREVENT DISEASE.
AFTER ALL, YOUR DOCTORS MAY NOT BE AMONG THE SURVIVORS.
ALL THE BEST.
ABOVE ALL ELSE, PREPARE YOUR MINDS!
---
FURTHER READING:
~ Fundamentals of the aquifer systems.
http://www.ngwa.org/fundamentals/hydrology/pages/confined-or-artesian-groundwater.aspx
~ More on aquifers
http://www.livescience.com/39625-aquifers.html
~ Food and Water in an Emergency. Adobe PDF file [PDF - 16 pages] http://www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m4440181_Food_and_Water-English.revised_7-09.pdf
(FEMA/American Red Cross)
Simply sound advice.
Some may have a problem getting past this 'source'.
Pity.
These people have been doing this for many, many years.
http://preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-store-emergency-drinking-water.html
~ NATIVE AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY
http://www.nativetech.org/content/index.php
THIS IS A WEBSITE I HOPE YOU BECOME VERY FAMILIAR WITH.
It will show you how to do things the way they were done for centiries BEFORE we had "higher technology".
THERE IS ALMOST NOTHING THERE ABOUT WATER, BUT YOU WILL DEEPLY APPRECIATE THIS WEBSITE WHEN IT COMES TO LEARNING TO MAKE TRAPS, MAKE CLOTHING FROM ANIMAL PELTS, MAKE SURVIVAL SHELTERS, HUNTING AND AGRICULTURAL TOOLS, START FIRES, ETC.
It IS A VIRTUAL GOLD MINE OF HOW-TO INFO!
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