Should You Keep An Emergency Water Purifier In Your Home?

When disasters occur, few people are prepared and even fewer are prepared with an emergency water purifier.

When Hurricane Katrina hit the southern coast of the United States, mass flooding occurred, destroying a large portion of New Orleans. Aside from the obvious damage caused by the water, there was another serious problem: contamination of the local water supply.

The flood waters became contaminated with everything they touched; sewage, automotive fluids, dead bodies and much more. When the flood receded, it left all of that contamination behind, spread all over the land and through the remaining houses. In the areas that were still habitable, the water supply was no longer safe, and people were without one of the most essential components of life.

In this type of emergency, water purifier tablets or other devices can literally save your life.

Boiling is by far the best way to purify water, but during a crisis boiling may not always be possible. In the case of an emergency, water purifiers can be found in most households. Many people have iodine in their medicine cabinets or first aid kits, and who doesn’t have liquid bleach?

If you have one of these items, then you are in luck. To purify water with bleach, mix 1/8 teaspoon of plain unscented liquid bleach to one gallon of water, then let it stand uncovered for at least 30 minutes. To purify water with iodine , mix 10 drops per quart of contaminated water.

Store purified water in sealed containers to prevent re-contamination.

To make purified water more palatable to drink, it may help to aerate the water by pouring it from one container to another a few times. Adding a pinch of salt also helps to improve the flavor after a purifying chemical has been used.

Ideally, it’s best to be prepared for an unforeseen disaster by always keeping emergency water purifier tablets on hand. Chlorine-based tablets keep indefinitely, unlike iodine tablets, which have a limited shelf life, so they can be easily stashed in a first aid kit or an emergency supply kit.

A device such as a ceramic microfilter makes an excellent emergency water purifier, and it is also a useful addition to any camping trip. A microfilter is fine enough to filter even small bacteria out of water, and when used in conjunction with a chemical water purifier, it will provide a steady supply of safe drinking water.

It is best to try and find the cleanest water possible, especially following a flood because water can become contaminated with more than just bacteria and sediment. Toxic chemicals like oil, gas and antifreeze from submerged cars also becomes mixed into floodwater, which no amount of sterilization can remove.

If floodwater gets into a well or municipal water supply, the water becomes toxic and it may be a long time before the water is potable again. In such emergencies, the military usually arrives with a more sophisticated emergency water purifier system such as reverse osmosis, which can effectively cleanse polluted water in large quantities.