Newtown Springs

Disaster Preparedness

 

Easy ways to eliminate contamination in water in an emergency situation.

 

Boiling: Boiling is the safest method of treating water.

Boiled water will better if you put oxygen back into it by

pouring the water back and forth between two clean

containers. This will also improve

the taste of stored water.

 

Chlorination: This method calls for the use of household

liquid bleach to kill microorganisms. Use only regular

household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 to 6.0 percent

sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches and use

newly opened or unopened bottles of bleach. Add 16 drops

1/8 teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of water, stir, and let

stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight bleach

odor. If it doesn’t, then repeat the process over again and let

stand another 15 minutes.

 

Distillation: Distillation involves boiling water and collection

of the vapor that condenses. The condensed vapor will

be filtered of salt and most other common impurities. To

distill, fill a pot halfway with water. Tie a cup to the handle

 on the pot’s lid so that the cup will hang right-side-up

when the lid is upside-down (make sure the cup is not

hanging in the water) and boil

the water for 20 minutes. The water that drips from

lid into the cup is distilled.

 

Filters: Many portable water filters can remove disease

causing parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

filters that have small enough pores to filter out bacteria

or parasites. Most filters do not have the capability of

filtering out viruses.

 

 

 

 

Water sources in case of an emergency:

Inside the home: You can find water in a large number of places in your house in case of an emergency. These include water heaters, melting ice cubes, and liquid from canned fruit and vegetables.

 

Outside the home: Outside resources can yield potable

water as well. The best outside sources of water are

rainwater, streams, rivers, and ponds.

 

Essentials of managing water: People should only drink

according to their needs, drink uncontaminated water first,

do not drink carbonated drinks instead of water, and turn

off main water valves.

 

After a flood:

Avoid flood waters; water may be contaminated by oil,

gasoline or raw sewage. Service damaged septic tanks,

cesspools, pits and leaching systems as soon as possible.

Damaged sewer systems are serious health hazards. Listen

for news reports to learn whether or not the community’s

water supply is safe to drink. Clean and disinfect

everything that got wet. Mud left from flood waters can

contain sewage and chemicals. Ensure a supply of water

for sanitary purpose such as cleaning and flushing toilets.

Fill the bathtub and other larger containers with water.