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2012 End of Times - How to Keep Water |
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Written by Administrator
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 It's common knowledge that 2012 is tagged as possibly the end of the world as we know it, thanks to some ancient Mayans and their mysterious calandar. According to some, this means there may be some major cataclysmic event that will end times as we know it. Is it true? Is December 21st, 2012 the end of times, something to be scared of, and be prepared for?
I don't know. No one knows for sure - but there is one thing that historians can agree on. The world, as it was known, ended many times before. Human civilizations came and went. Plagues came and went. Horrific wars came and went. All which marked the bloody end of one era and the start of another. Not just for the humans species too. Geology and science tells us that things have wiped out a great percentage of animal life many, many times in the past.
I think what we can take out of this is that something is going to happen, and that's a fact. Will it happen at the end of 2012? I don't know, but I do know that being prepared is not being paranoid. It's being smart.
Preparadness comes in many forms. Having a supply of canned and dry food. Having the essentials for wilderness survival - tents, sleeping bags, packs, etc. Survival supplies for you - people who aren't prepared will do anything to get their hands on the essentials for their families, so you need to be prepared to defend yours in an extreme situation.
Preparadness also comes in the form of water. Having a supply of water is absolutely essential. You can go without food for weeks and even months, but without water, you're dead in two -three days. Plus, water is essential for hygeine, and cleaning out wounds, without which you could get blood poisoning and die. There are two steps to emergency preparedness. One, be prepared for in the house. Two, be prepared if you have to leave your house.
In Your House
The power is out, the emregency broadcast system is blaring on your radio, and there is panic and chaos. What should you do? When the power goes out, you will still have some residual water pressure in the mains. Indeed, your water system may have elevated tanks which keep pressure on your system, and most water treatment facilities have emergency power generators to keep the system running. When the power goes out, you'll still have water, but not for long. Fill up all your bathtubs, and every clean container you can find. You're going to need as much water as possible.
Next, you're going to what to have some clean, sealable containers specifically for your drinking water. You will want lots of them. Fill them up with tap water and seal them. Municipally treated tap water has a residual disinfectant so it should keep the water good for a couple of weeks, as long as they stay sealed. Drink and use the water from the taps until the taps stop flowing. Then work off of what's in your bathtub and buckets. Finally when that runs dry, turn to the water you sealed in the jugs. Anticipating that being gone (which it will go faster than you think), consider investing in some emergency water pouches. These pouches are hermetically sealed and meant only for drinking purposes, but have a shelf life of 5+ years. As well, they are small and can be carried with you if you need to go, allowing you to stay hydrated and stay alive.
If you are still alive and have depleted those water resources, a rainwater collection system, purchased now when times are good, could very well save your life. You should have a rainwater diverter system with a filter to take out debrees and leaves, and a a rainwater barrel for storing the water. These hook up to your downspout system and could be a lifesaver in emergency times.
When You Have to Leave
Your home and the city may not be a safe place to stay. If chaos truely is, society has crumbled and order will never be restored, you will have to leave your house. A city relies on contant shipments of goods to stay running. When that supply is shut off, resources will quickly dissapear and whoever is left will violently compete for them. Your best bet is to leave the city as quickly as possible and if you are lucky, you'll be able to make shelter an have an existance off the land. You'll need to take water with you, and be able to make clean, safe water. You should have a supply of water from your efforts above. Make sure to fill as many portable containers for travel as you can (canteens work well for this) and take them with you.
When the canteen water runs dry, you'll need to make clean drinking water on the move. For this, you'll need a portable water filter to take out the 'chunks' - my favorite, and the one I use when camping is the Katadyn Hiking Filter - and you'll need some water disinfection tabs to kill any micro-organism that may do you harm. I personally favor the micropur disinfection tabs as they use a chlorine dioxide to disinfect the water - this works on virus, bacteria and protozoa effectively and leaves very little aftertaste.
Important - do NOT pass up any decent water source you come across. Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams - take the opportunity to filter up some water and refill your containers. You never know when you might find another readily available source of water.
Of course, the hiking filter and the disinfection tabs won't last forever. Eventually you'll find a good place to settle in - and at that point a good method would be rainwater collection, and/or collecting lake, pond or river water, or even melting snow. A good way to make clean water is to leave it in a big barrel to let the 'chunks' sink to the bottom, then skim the water from the top, bring it to a rapid rolling boil for a minimum of one minute to kill any microorganisms, and consume it after it cools.
Yes, I know I've glossed over a lot of information. Like how to survive and what to do. I don't claim to be an expert in survival, I only have my water knowledge to share with you. I would encourage you however, as I have done, to read up on the subject. A good book is "How to Survive the End of the World as we Know it" by James Wesely Rawles. This will give you a good start on how to survive the 2012 disaster, or if there is a disaster ANY time before or after!
I can't gaurantee you that after reading this you'll always have good water to drink. But if you're lucky and follow a few things, perhaps it will help.
A list of the helpful water products mentioned in the above article, in order:
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