Prepare Then Share not only to purchase products but also to know what you will need so you can buy it "piece meal" (so to speak).
Get Paper and Pencils. Keeping a written record will give you something to do.
Note: Bottled water can only be stored safely for 6 months so buy a six month supply in December 2012 Also buy a gallon of bleach with no added ingredients so that after 6 months you have the ability to purify water. Remeber not to throw away the plastic water bottles!
How to Make a Solar Oven From a pizza box.
How to Make a PVC pipe Toilet
In addition to the above, contact a local business that purchases plastic grocery bags in bulk and ask them to order you a couple of cases. Create what the 3rd world calls... Flying Toilets! Fill 'em and Fling 'em!
Do Not throw away empty water bottles instead fill them with urine so the toilet will only hold solid waste. Urine is a very good weapon. Buy bottles with this type of cap
Read this PDFto learn how to Purify and store drinking water.
Standard water bottles do not have a very long shelf life (six months) after the water is no longer safe to drink it may be used for other purposes.
Survival Kit
Note: Most survival supplies are meant for a 3 day emergency. We are in for at a minimum six months of really intense need so buy the biggest kit you can afford or better yet save up for the biggest kit there is!
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
A typical home water heater can provide between 30 and 60 or more gallons of clean drinking water during a disaster. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other power outages may prevent you from having many things, but clean drinking water is not one of them.
Steps
- Turn off the electricity or gas to the water heater. You will be draining the clean drinking water from it. If there is power to the tank while it's empty, damage to it will be certain. Turn off the circuit breaker for electric types or close the gas valve for natural gas and propane types. Most electric water heaters in residential applications are 208 / 240 volts, and supplied by a double-pole circuit breaker or two fuses rated at 30 amps.
- Preserve the cleanliness of the water in the tank by closing the supply valve to the tank. When water service is restored, the water department will be pumping water that could be contaminated. This will be fine to use for flushing toilets and for cooking, but not for drinking. See the Tips below for information on determining which one is the supply valve.
- Find the valve at the bottom of the tank for draining when it needs servicing. This is where your clean drinking water will come from. Many water heater valves have a connector for hooking up a garden hose to the drain valve. A short 3 foot length of garden hose will make the collection of the water easier. A washing machine's supply hose is the perfect length and is available in many homes. Connect the hose and open the valve briefly to flush any debris that may have collected in the valve. Make sure the drain, hose, and container are clean before using them.
- In order for the water to be drained from the tank you must allow air to get into it. This is easy to do by opening any hot water tap in the building such as the kitchen or bathroom sink.
- Unless you're absolutely certain that the water has not been contaminated, purify it.
Tips
- Before disaster hits, mark which valve is for the water supply. Run some hot water from any sink. Go back to the hot water tank and feel the two pipes attached to it. The supply line will be the colder one. Somehow mark the valve as "supply". This will be the one to close in an emergency so that contaminated water will not go into the tank as you drain the clean drinking water that is stored in it.
- It is a good idea to flush some water from the bottom of the tank once or twice a year. Sediment can collect on the bottom of the tank. Draining some water under pressure will clean out the sediment.
Warnings
- Turn off the power supply to the tank first. Even if there is a power failure you must unplug, turn off the circuit breaker, or close the gas valve first.
- Allow the tank to fill before restoring power to the water heater. Open the supply valve and wait for the water to run out of the open hot water faucet.
- Be sure that the water has had time to cool before opening any valves on the water heater!
- Be sure the water inside the water softener is not soft water. It can contain excess sodium (the harder your water supply is, the more sodium is used to soften it), which is not recommended for those with certain health concerns (such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular or kidney disease). If you don't have a water softener...you're good to use the water inside the heater like normal!
Things You'll Need
- Flashlight to find the circuit breaker, plug, and valves if it is dark
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