Water Purification Certain disasters could leave a family surrounded by water, yet unable to find potable water with which to quench their thirst. The raw sewage that is often mixed with flood waters provides an easy way for disease causing bacteria to spread. Drinking sea water provides the body with an overdose of salt, which triggers a reaction that floods every cell with water to dilute and carry off the salt content. This causes the body to become dehydrated which can cause seizures, unconsciousness and brain damage. If that isn’t bad enough, the kidneys are now so overwhelmed with salt that they’ll shut down. Without proper kidney function, we die. Having a ready supply of water will help decrease the potential deadliness of a disaster situation. It is important that household kits contain a 3 day supply of water per family member as well as a means of purifying a contaminated supply. Store five gallons of water per day per family member in clean plastic containers (preferably well cleaned Soda bottles, never use old milk jugs) so that you have three for drinking purposes and two for sanitation purposes. Children, Nursing mothers and sick individuals will need more. Certain weather conditions, such as high wind or extreme heat will wick water away from the body creating a higher need. Store a surplus of water in case of sickness and to provide for those who might come to you for assistance. First look for sources of potable water in and around your home. You may be able to obtain limited amounts of water by draining your water heater, melting ice from snow or the cubes in your freezer, collecting rain water or drawing water out of the tank in your commode (not the bowl). If potable water cannot be found and other sources of water must be used; such as lakes or rivers, avoid sources that are of a dark color, have floating material or an odor. Flowing is generally of better quality than stagnant sources.
Filtration You may need to start the purification process with filtration since purification methods are less effective when used with cloudy or dark water.
A. Layered Filtration
To create a decent filtration system, you will need a container that will allow water to flow through it, preferably with the water entering the top and flowing out through the bottom. One way to do this on a small scale is to use a plastic soda bottle. 1. Cut the bottom off and turn it upside down. 2. Stuff the mouth of the bottle with some type of cotton wadding, such as a handkerchief – a sock or strip torn from a shirt (preferably clean) will do in a pinch. 3. Add an inch thick layer of fine sand over the wadding. 4. Add a layer of wood charcoal or activated charcoal. (Do not use charcoal briquettes) 5. Finish with coarse gravel. 6. Pour water through the filer until the water runs clean.
B. Bank Filtration If you have a source of water such as a lake, river or stream that you suspect to be contaminated, you can filter the water by digging a hole off to the side of the body of water. The time and amount of material that the water takes to flow from the body of water to the hole that you’ve dug will help filter the water. Allow the water to sit until the sediment settles. Cover to prevent animals from accessing it as a water source.
C. Expedient Filtration Most water is contaminated due to pollution by animals or humans. Filtering the water through layers of earth is often sufficient to trap the harmful organisms found in those pollutants. However, following up the filtration process by some form other of purification process is often desired to be certain. However, there are times when proper filtration is not possible, but the water is too cloudy or dark for purification to be effective. In this case, allow the water to settled and then draw of the water from the top and filter through clean cloth until the water is as clear as you can possibly get it. At this point it is ready for further purification.
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