Where to Find Emergency Water in Times of Need

Finding emergency water sources.

Emergencies come in all different shapes and sizes, impossible to predict, and often impossible to avoid as any insurance commercial will tell you (even the humorous ones). And while we try to prepare for every possible scenario, when emergency strikes, it is important to be prepared with knowledge as well as supplies. We all know clean drinking water is critical, but maybe you don’t have enough, or worse, maybe storing water was still an item on your “to do” list when you needed it most. Would you know how to find emergency sources of clean drinking water in a crisis?

There are several places around your home that harbor hidden stores of clean water. The first thing to do (assuming your family is out of imminent danger) is to shut off your incoming water valve if there is any reason to suspect that your water is contaminated by viruses, bacteria, oil, chemical spills, or waste such as in a serious flood situation. This will increase your chances of  keeping the existing water in your home clean and safe to collect and use.

The biggest source of emergency water is your home’s water heater tank, which normally holds between 30 and 60 gallons. Make sure to turn the electricity off and allow the water time to cool before draining it however to prevent injury. The release valve at the bottom will provide simple and safe access to the needed water.

You can also drain the water pipes in your house using gravity; this is done by turning on the highest faucet in the house. It will drain a little water, and then you leave it on for a while to allow air into your pipes. Then turn on the lowest faucet in the house and the remaining water stored there will drain with the help of gravity.Water in the tank (not the bowl) of your toilet is also safe provided that there are no chemicals in it. You can access smaller sources of emergency water by draining canned food items, and melting the water in ice cube trays. And then there’s the obvious water in natural sources such as rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes if there are any nearby. It is important to remember, that all of this provides water, but in an emergency there is no guarantee that this water is not already contaminated.

When getting water from any source where there is even a chance of contaminants, you need to filter or purify water from these places. Boiling the water is the best way to purify the water. Hopefully you will never be in a position to need this information; hopefully you have enough water storage tanks but just in case, this will give you and your family a much better chance of surviving whatever this life can dish out, hopefully you will never be in a position to need this information, but just in case, this will give you and your family a much better chance of surviving whatever this life can dish out.