Sorry for the alarming headline, but honestly, would you have paid attention if I’d said “Let’s Talk About Water Preparedness.” Probably not.
Because we kind of take our drinking water for granted. It’s there, magically, with a flick of the wrist. And if we do lose it, it’s only for a little while, and the pain and memory of its absence is easily washed away with a hot shower.
What if you woke up tomorrow, sleepily cranked your shower to hot, and nothing came out?
No big deal, right? At least, not for a day.
You can stink for a day and get away with it.
But what if you couldn’t leave? And you had no water? And you were thirsty? And stuck. And thirsty. (Did I mention, you’re thirsty?)
I’ve been wanting to talk about the importance of clean water, and being prepared with an extra reserve of it, for a while.
But the truth is, I’m only slightly prepared. So I couldn’t talk about it. Because that would be kind of hypocritical.
Today, though, we woke up with no water.
And I learned my lesson. Albeit, a very brief one, but it was enough to make me realize what we’ve been doing right – and what we’re probably NOT doing. Right.
See it started as what looked like a small earthquake at about 8:00 AM Sunday morning:
And at about 3:30, it turned into this (not an earthquake, a water main break):
And here we are, at midnight (my head SCREAMING because of 16 hours of unrelenting noise) and it still looks like this:
The good news is, the water was turned back on after about two hours.
The thing I’m a little wary of is that they came out with a statement at one point that said they didn’t “think the drinking water had been compromised.”
I had about 20 oz of drinking water in my filtration system. For a while, I didn’t even think I was going to get to have a pot of coffee this morning. (I know, I know. TRAGEDY, right?)
It really makes you stop and think: What if you didn’t have water for three days? Are you prepared for that potentiality?
Are You Prepared With YOUR Water?
While – as you guys know and love – I’m kinda wary of governmental declarations (ahem), one thing I’m fully on board with is being prepared to take care of yourself in the event of an emergency.
The best way you can do this is by having a drinking water supply on hand. Even FEMA tells us all that we should be prepared with:
- 1 gallon, per person, per day, of drinking water for at least 3 days.
They recommend getting bottled water.
I, however, wanted something that’ll last even longer, will get us through the toughest times, and provides optimal drinking water RIGHT NOW. Because we want to avoid things like heavy metals, bacteria that can be found in drinking water, and especially fluoride.
That ended up being a Berkey filtration system. It doesn’t need water pressure to work like reverse osmosis does, and it wouldn’t take a second mortgage, like reverse osmosis does.
They’re still not cheap, though, and it was a stretch for us to get one, but not a single day goes by that I’m not grateful for this purchase.
Today, I was extra especially super duper incredibly grateful.
After spending about an hour freaking out about not having water, I realized that – if things got really out of hand and we had nothing to drink – I could always grab a jug and walk down to the stream. Just like the olden days. Except in the new-fangled days, I could bring the stream water back, filter it through my Berkey, and be just fine. (Many people who live off the grid use their Berkeys to filter rainwater into drinking water.)
That being said, I did learn a lesson today, and that’s to keep it filled all the way up as often as possible. And to store a few extra jugs of water under the back porch. Just in case.
Are You Going to Do Something About It?
So there’s my story, and my official statement (take THAT FEMA): Make sure you have clean, safe drinking water for everybody in your family for at least 3 days. Soon. Today, even. Whether it’s with a system like a Berkey or bottled water.
Have you done that yet?
‘Cause, it could be a water main break, it could be a flood or an earthquake, or it could just be that you forget to pay your utility bill. But it’s so nice to know that you’re not going to go thirsty.
Or that, at least, you’ll get your pot of coffee that morning.
—
Oh, and we bought our Berkey from More Than Alive – a store I trust enough to be an affiliate for – and who, for the hours and hours of groaning and comparing and contemplating and researching I did, had the best prices when we ordered. It looks like the price has gone up a little bit, but it also looks like demand has skyrocketed. Go figure.
Food For Your Soul Friday: Implicit Joy
I’ve been reading your blog constantly the last three days. I started my “crunchy” journey at the beginning of this year and I am doing a lot of what you are preaching already, sista! I have gotten some great ideas and moral support regarding what I have been doing already.
The water thing has recently started bothering me because they have been working on the water main In my neighborhood for the last month. We haven’t had to go a whole day without water and I always prepare when they say it’ll be off for half a day but…. When we get our water back…. OMHELL! It takes minutes for the water to run clear on all of our faucets. What a waste and Lord help us, when it does run clear, what is or Brita still letting us drink?
I’m ready to sell my shoes and pimp out my dog to get a berkey or a very similar filtration system. EEK!
I love your blog – you always have such useful information! But this post has given me a serious case of ‘igottahavethis-itis’. My 3 yr old son is autistic and I’ve seriously changed the way we eat, am switching to natural beauty products and household cleaners, but never really thought about our water. I mean, we have a filter on the water dispenser in our fridge…isn’t that enough?!? I wish I could get a Berkey NOW! 🙂
A bit off subject, but still on the water and water shortage theme, have you read “The Big Thirst”?
I LOVE my Berkey! It gives me such peace of mind. It can even filter river or rain water in an emergency.
I’d still like to get some bottled water to have on hand. Thanks for the reminder! I’ve been meaning to do this.
I’m Fixin to buy a berkey, where’s the affiliate link?
Xo
Rowan
It’s right there in that last paragraph or over on the side of the screen on the right. You are going to LOVE it. Just remember to completely prime your filters, ’cause we didn’t, and the first couple of water batches tasted kinda funny. After that, though, it was golden. We even did the red dye test. It was SO cool.
Excellent post! It’s something my hubby and I have been discussing in depth for the last couple of months. So much depends on the type of emergency that you’re trying to prepare for, and realizing you can’t prepare for them all! The three day supply is a good rule (remember to replace it every 6 months). We decided to also look into getting a good hiking-type filter that could go with us if the emergency required evacuation. I noticed on your link that Berkey makes a travel-sized filter, so that might be an option.
We hope to switch a big Berkey in the future for our everyday use (we’ve used a Britta/Pur for the past 11 years). Our tap water is so chlorinated and nasty, I simply can’t stand the taste of it. Blech.
Skip’s been begging me to get that travel-sized thing since we bought our big one.
Actually, it sounds like your decision-making process is going a LOT like mine did. (Big surprise, right?)
It was really tough to choose between the Berkey Light and a Big Berkey, mainly because of stainless steel construction versus a plastic. In the end, we went with the Berkey Light because it would be extremely easy to empty and transport, if a situation arose where … um … bugging out might be in order.
That it was cheaper just made the decision even easier.
Toss me an email when you think you’re ready if you have any questions, okay? Best purchase I ever made. (And you, of all people, know what my purchasing power and ability is like …)
What is the difference between a Berkeley water filter and those little pitchers from brita or pur?
The difference is in quality, the amount of water they can filter before needing to be changed, but, for us, the big difference was that we bought the fluoride filter for our Berkey, too. Brita and Pur don’t have the ability to filter out things like fluoride.
Brita and Pur mostly filter for taste – so it gets rid of chlorine in your tap water and the other particles that taste “off.” They don’t, though, filter for things like viruses and bacteria.
Again, our biggest reason for getting a Berkey was being able to get rid of fluoride. However, knowing that it’ll work in a survival kinda situation, too, is just an added awesome bonus.
I live in Alabama where we’ve had a recent string of deadly tornadoes last week. My family and I have been without power for 4 days and are just now getting it back. In the rush for gas, food and yes, water, that I have been through recently it really really struck me just how ill-prepared we are for any type of disaster. Thankfully my home and family are fine but parts of our community were decimated. And some of the things I have seen these past few days have been truly enlightening and very frightening. People have been fighting over resources like food and water. All I can say is that if they think this is bad I’d hate to see how society reacts if it totally collapses/
Thanks for posting this because at least then I will be more prepared. Your blog is just great!
i live in huntsville so i know exactly how you feel. fortunately i got to use the whole “no power” situation as an excuse to take a mini-vacation to north carolina to see my boyfriend so i haven’t had to go too long without light/water/gas.
when i get back home i’m probably gonna run out and buy 18 cases of water bottles. COSTCO HERE I COME.
Oh my gosh, both of you. I’m so glad you’re all okay. Between you and Rebecca up there from Christchurch, you’re all excellent, inspiring reminders of how it’s a GREAT idea to be prepared for a disaster. But, that a level head and kindness towards everyone is the only way we’d all make it through.
I actually thought about that when I bought the Berkey. About how maybe we should buy an extra set of filters, so we could get double the clean water out of them, and then we’d feel less “lacking” and could share it with anyone who needs it.
I’ve been wanting a Berkey for awhile and it’s definitely part of my long range goals. I need to step up the priority!
Yeah. I hear you. Having a GOOD water filter was always in my long-range plans, but it never seemed like it took priority.
When I wrote the post about homemade toothpaste, we had saved up a couple hundred dollars over the months before, and it was JUST enough – all combined – to get me off my butt.
Definitely the best “extravagant” purchase I’ve ever made in my life. I was joking around with my mother the other day and told her “Water will never be the same again.” Except I kinda meant it. Hehe.
Our well is so heavy in iron that we have to use the county water. I really need a filter. And I need to put some water up. During Hurricane Hugo, years ago, we had no water for a week. And let me tell you, it was hellish.
My roommate and I were sitting in the den talking on about day 5 of no bath and I’ll never forget her saying, “It must take a lot to stink.” And when I asked why she thought that, she said it was because she couldn’t smell me.
I’ve always figured, it must take a lot to stink!
Hahaha. “It must take a lot to stink.” I kind of want to make a bumper sticker that says that now.
It makes you wonder, though, (and I have wondered several times) about homemade deodorant. Maybe she couldn’t smell you because she was gradually USED to your stinkiness.
Hehe.
When I used to use commercial deodorant, I’d have to put it on several times a day: morning, evening, even before bed. So when I made my own deodorant, I’d be constantly smelling myself to see WHEN I’d have to reapply. And then I realized I hadn’t even put any on that day! So one swipe had lasted over twenty four hours.
It was then that I realized commercial deodorants MAKE you wear more of it in order to stay “fresh”. Just like toothpaste.
My grandfather works for a bottled water company (the kind that you get at the dollar stores and such), and it’s completely natural. They take it from a mountain stream (I say “stream” but there’s a waterfall involved, and it’s super pretty), and they filter it just enough to get the dirt and stuff out, but they don’t add any chemicals or anything. It’s just plain ol’ mountain water.
Anywho, because he works for them, he gets [literally] TONS of bottled water (gallon size and regular size) from them for free, because when he delivers them, if even one palette is damaged in some way, the orderer will reject the entire order, so they can’t sell any of that good water. So, they give it to their employees and to shelters and stuff. We have our [huge] basement completely stocked. I daresay it would last us a good year.
We might have to invest in perfume to cover up the lack of shower smells though.
~Ness
Cover up everyone else’s smells! You could get a sun shower and probably be fine! Lucky you!
I need a water contact!
Oh, awesome. It’s SO nice to have an “in” when it comes to that kind of stuff. ESPECIALLY when you see the price of bottled water sometimes.
The town I live in, we actually have an abundance of underground springs that come up here. They’re really high in minerals and stuff, but they taste pretty wonky most of the time. Drinking from them is always an option, although if anything ever happened “disaster-wise,” our plan is to get up into the mountains at my parents’ house if at all possible. No doubt the natural springs would be jam packed with hundreds of people looking to get water. Even wonky-tasting water.
I do usually have a large amount of water set aside because 1) I wouldn’t drink Philly water if you paid me and 2) We fill up water bottles from a friend’s well. Yes, I feel totally crazy driving out to get drinking water, but I haven’t ever thought of a filtration system because we’ve always had the option of well water. Maybe I’ll look into it because obviously if everything really gets bad, I won’t be driving anywhere to get water!
And Government Declarations? I’m feeling you on that one.
@TheSimplePoppy, well water isn’t always reliable. I know it SOUNDS like the better alternative, but really it can be just as bad, if not worse, than tap water. At least tap water has been cleaned of contaminants. We’re living off of a well right now, and last year we discovered that it is, and had been for a long time, contaminated with fertilizer chemicals from a farm that’s THREE MILES DOWN THE ROAD. We’re not in a place where we have access to tap water, so we’re stuck using the well water for things like washing.
Also, a few years ago, a fire ant colony decided to build it’s nest against the side of the well housing and somehow managed to get INTO the well. The little things drowned, of course, and even our filter system wasn’t enough to get them out of the water before it reached the house. We had fire ants in all of our wash (and showers) for nearly three months.
I love love love having clean water out of the faucets (In Denmark we are particularly proud of our clean drinking water). Not long ago we had a water pipe break, and as it ran under the sidewalk RIGHT in front of our house, we suddenly found all kinds of clean drinking water filling our basement, and as it kept filling our basement, they turned off the water supply, so, nothing in the faucets, lots on the floor…. not fun.
I’ve noticed on trips to the US that the water quality is not good enough to drink in many many places…. I totally understand why water filtering systems are popular in the US.
Sorry, I know this has nothing to do with a water emergency, but the pics reminded me of the prob we had here last year…
Lucky you! It must be super nice to not even have to question the quality of your water when you drink from the faucet. I remember that feeling … from when I was 20 and didn’t know better about the water over here. Oh, how times have changed and the internet has taught us.
It is seriously a priviledge to be able to trust the water coming out of the faucet. You can do that in a few countries in Europe, but definitely not all. They are incredibly diligent about testing the water here because Denmark is also a farming country and everything is so close together that we are kind of forced to make room for each other in every kind of way (there’s over 5 million of us living in an area not much bigger than the San Francisco Bay area).
An example: It is mandatory that all garbage in Copenhagen be sorted and recycled before it is picked up. The county supplies every home with the necessary different bins and takes care of pickup (and yeah, we pay an arm and a leg in taxes here – but then we get to see the benefits of it with programs like this). When they cart away the sorted garbage, we get more use out of it because all homes in the greater Copenhagen area are one big pipeline grid that heats the homes from waste recycling. Stuff like this made me fall in love with this small country – despite the dark and dreary winters.
Don’t have to tell me twice! I live in Christchurch, New Zealand – after growing up with best water in world (almost) after the recent earthquake it’s now being chlorinated and its awful and gross and I’m thinking we need a filter thingy! But we learnt from the first earthquake last year and had heaps stored for this one (yay us – with you on the looking after yourself business)
x
Christchurch, eh? How IS everything over there? What was it like? The earthquake? Are you guys putting pieces back together okay? I read somewhere that the NZ government has a whole bunch of RVs sitting outside Christchurch, just in case. Is that true?
(Good grief … SO many questions.) I’m just so glad you’re okay! Scary stuff.
It’s going ok! Was very scary at the time – especially with the phone networks going down! We are just lucky wee live on the “solid” side of town – things are pretty normal around here, wouldn’t think anything had happened! It will be yonks before everything is truly normal though – like the city centre etc. Haha yup, theres a bit of a trailor park set up, don’t think its being used much though, people are choosing to live in their semi broken homes still 🙂
I have 2.5 gallon/days of water set aside, all the time. I will make that 3 gallons tomorrow!
Nice. You’re prepared! I have a small cabinet with beans and rice and stuff in it, just in case. It was the water part that I kept putting off. A shining beacon of inspiration you are. Hehe.