When an emergency hits, one of the most important resources to stay stocked up on is water. Your body needs enough hydration to stay healthy so that you can properly navigate a dangerous situation. When resources are short, and you are dealing with a crisis, it is easy to feel anxious and overwhelmed.
However, when you stay prepared with enough water and other necessary resources, you can keep a clear head and stay safe as you work towards restoration and recovery. Getting back to normal after a natural disaster or another emergency can be tough, but being prepared makes all the difference.
Prepping Emergency Water: What You Need To Know
This post is all about emergency water storage – what it looks like, and the best ways to stock up on emergency hydration for you and your family. We’ll give you everything you need to stay prepared with emergency water in case a crisis hits.
When You Need Emergency Water
A reliable supply of emergency water is a crucial resource in any natural disaster. Whether you are in the midst of a tornado, an earthquake, a flood, a hurricane, a wildfire, or another form of emergency, water is one of the most precious resources you can keep on hand. In many cases, a natural disaster can cut off your access to running water, as well as to the grocery store. This means that getting a quick glass of water from the tap or a case of plastic disposable water bottles from the store is often out of the question.
In these circumstances, when you cannot access water in the way you typically would on a day-to-day basis, you need a reliable plan B. The best sources of emergency water are highly portable and non-perishable. Your emergency water supply needs to be easy to carry so that you can quickly evacuate your home with it if it is ever necessary. Evacuation-ready water needs to be light and compact but also shelf-stable.
Did you know that water bottles can expire? It’s true. Plastic water bottles can wear down over time, causing potentially harmful chemicals to seep into their contents. This makes them ineligible to be candidates for your emergency water supply.
Instead, you will need a form of water with a long shelf life and is easy to carry with you. Plastic water bottles can go bad, and they are also bulky and cumbersome, making them difficult to pack into a ready-to-go emergency kit.
Emergency Water Pouches: A Worthy Alternative To Water Bottles
Our number one choice for emergency water is non-perishable pouches. Easier to carry and store than plastic water bottles, emergency pouches are also shelf-stable, meaning they can stay fresh for years without needing to be replaced. You don’t need to do much to make sure your emergency water pouches are ready to go when you need them – they are incredibly reliable and easy to pull out and drink.
A good rule of thumb is to keep enough non-perishable water stocked to keep everyone in your household hydrated for at least 72 hours. The most reliable means of keeping this amount of water stored up is using pouches, which are much easier to store in larger quantities than water bottles.
When you are building an emergency preparedness kit, its size and portability will depend on the number of members of your household. Everyone needs enough water, food, and wearable resources like ponchos and emergency blankets to stay safe, warm, hydrated, and well-fed for the duration of a crisis.
72 hours worth of food and water may sound like a lot, but in emergencies, you and your family can stay fed and hydrated using highly portable, non-perishable sources of food and water.
How To Pack An Emergency Preparedness Kit: Non-Perishable Food
Water is one of the most important resources to include in your emergency preparedness kit. However, you also need food, wearable items like ponchos, emergency blankets and hand warmers, and helpful tools and first aid gear. A well-stocked emergency kit can make a huge difference when you are in a crisis, and it is well worth it to have yours ready and to know how to use the items in it.
Another must-have item for your emergency kit is a non-perishable source of food. One of the best ways to stay full in a crisis without taking up too much space in your kit is with nutrient-dense meal replacement bars. These bars are sealed and ready to eat without needing refrigeration. They can stay good for years without needing replacement and contain enough calories to keep you full for hours.
Each meal replacement bar is similar in size, shape, and taste to a typical energy bar. However, JUDY’s bars are packed with carbohydrates, fat, and protein to keep you sustained for as long as possible. In an emergency, one of these bars can keep you going for a long time.
How To Pack An Emergency Preparedness Kit: Wearable Items
In addition to non-perishable food and water, your emergency preparedness kit needs to be thoroughly stocked with enough wearable items to keep you and your family safe, warm, and dry. When you are in an emergency, you can potentially find yourself exposed to rain, wind, and cold. In these circumstances, staying warm and dry and protected from the elements is precious and can play a major role in helping you ride out a crisis well.
Some of the most important wearable items to include in your emergency preparedness kit are ponchos and emergency blankets. Like any ideal source of non-perishable food or water, these wearable items are lightweight and highly portable, easy to pull out and use when in a pinch.
Ponchos are much easier to transport and use in emergencies than full-sized rain jackets. A poncho can help to keep you dry if you are hit by a sudden surge of severe weather. Emergency blankets are another lightweight resource of great importance. These blankets are made of heat-reflecting foil, keeping you warm when you need it most.
Where Should You Store Your Emergency Supplies?
When you want to make sure that your emergency preparedness kit is ready to go in the event of a crisis, strategic placement of the kit is key. Keep your kit somewhere where you can quickly get to it when you need it.
Placing your emergency preparedness kit right by the door to your home that gets the most traffic is a great idea. This placement guarantees that you can quickly grab your emergency supplies if you need to evacuate your home in a hurry.
Your emergency supplies should be familiar and easy to use for every member of your household who is old enough. Staying prepared with emergency water and other important survival resources is a great way to teach the younger members of your family how to stay on top of a crisis situation. Even if you have young kids, you can use your emergency preparedness kit to teach them the importance of having the right tools in an emergency.
You and your family should also work through an evacuation plan that can be quickly put into practice in an emergency. Making your own evacuation plan starts with knowing the floorplan of your home and the easiest means of exiting your house from any room.
You can draw a simple version of your evacuation plan and put it on your refrigerator for easy access, making sure that every member of your household knows what to do if you need to make a quick evacuation. Keeping your emergency preparedness kit in a place where it can be grabbed quickly in a crisis plays a key role in evacuating your home well.
In many emergency situations, you may find yourself stuck at home, often without power and other necessary resources. In these circumstances, your emergency food and water can make a major difference when a natural disaster or other emergency leaves you homebound.
No matter what, it is always a great move to be extra prepared for natural disasters and other crises that may strike at any moment. You and your family can greatly benefit from keeping a well-stocked emergency preparedness kit in a quickly-accessible spot in your home.
You won’t regret taking the extra time and effort to ensure that you have everything you need to successfully ride out an emergency. Emergency preparedness can save lives, and that is always worth the time, effort, and investment.
Sources:
https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/emergency-foods
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