| A disaster can strike in the blink of an eye leaving its | | | | want to drink any of that. If by chance the power is |
| victims acutely feeling their losses. Their immediate | | | | still on, you'll be able to strain your water through a |
| concerns are loss of life, of housing, and of the | | | | clean paper towel or cloth and then boil it in order to |
| precious mementos that they had been collecting | | | | make it safe. However, in most disasters power is |
| throughout their lives. When reality sinks in, however, | | | | interrupted, and this is not an option. |
| one of the most precious commodities denied to | | | | One inexpensive emergency water treatment is to |
| them by the crisis situation is often water. Usually we | | | | use iodine or chlorine to treat the contaminated |
| take our water supplies for granted, and it's difficult | | | | water. Although this method isn't recommended for |
| to imagine how devastated we would be if we | | | | use in the long term, it can get you through the |
| turned on the tap and got nothing. Water is one of | | | | critical first days after a disaster strikes. It's a good |
| the necessities of life, and at this point we need to | | | | idea to keep a bottle of iodine in your medicine |
| know steps to take for emergency water treatment. | | | | cabinet for such possibilities. Although chlorine bleach |
| Some people will have done the right thing and | | | | can be used in a pinch, it is not recommended. After |
| planned ahead for the "what if". These people will | | | | all, it does have some poisonous effects when |
| have had the foresight to keep a supply of bottled | | | | ingested, plus it kills microorganisms that your |
| water on hand for just such a possibility, or they will | | | | digestive system needs to operate properly. |
| have purchased filtered water bottles or a processing | | | | Simple measures, such as stocking a supply of |
| system that they can use to purify water from any | | | | bottled water, keeping iodine in your medicine |
| source. While everyone else is panicking and | | | | cabinet, or purchasing an emergency water |
| overwhelming the local stores with demands for | | | | treatment system can end up saving your life if the |
| bottled water, they will be sitting back complacently. | | | | unthinkable happens. Although you probably believe |
| Unknown water sources can contain all kinds of | | | | that a disaster is never going to strike you, it's good |
| contaminents that can make people ill or even kill | | | | to remember that none of those people hit by |
| them. The most common of these contaminants are | | | | devastating tornadoes, hurricanes, and tsunamis ever |
| protozoan parasites, toxic bacteria, poisonous | | | | thought it was going to happen to them, either. |
| chemicals, and harmful viruses. Obviously you don't | | | | |