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Published on 04/22/1996 All articles from this issue

Storage of water a difficult but important task

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By the Los Altos Emergency Preparedness Committee

This is the third article in a series which will help you to get prepared for a major emergency, such as an earthquake.The task for this week is arguably the most important task you can perform when preparing for an emergency: storage of water. A person can survive a long time without food buy only a few days without water. Because the normal water supply may be contaminated or shut off, you must store water for your family (including pets). You should set aside a one week supply of water. A good rule of thumb is to store one gallon of water per person per day. Therefore, you will want to store at least seven gallons of water for each person and pet in your family.Water should be stored in sturdy opaque plastic bottles. You can purchase water storage containers from hardware stores, marine supplies, sporting goods and camping equipment outlets, surplus stores, or disaster preparedness centers (see Earthquake Products & Services in the Yellow Pages). Or you can use containers you may already have around the house. Bleach bottles are excellent for storing water. However do not use milk or soft drink bottles. It is much too difficult to remove the milk bacteria from milk containers or the sugar from the soda bottles.Store the water containers in the household emergency storage container and a small amount of water should be stored in each vehicle.The task for this week is to store seven gallons of water for each person and pet in your family. Although this is a big task, it is extremely important. Don't forget to count the water stored in your water heater - but not in hot tubs and swimming pool. If you have any questions, please refer to page 11 of your copy of the Los Altos Emergency Preparedness Manual. for more information, or leave a message for the VEGA volunteer on the Los Altos city voice mail system (948-1491, ext. 488). One of the volunteers on the Los Altos Emergency Preparedness Committee will get into contact with you to answer your questions.