Water for Living and Survival. What You Need To Know

Water is essential for survival, with a minimum requirement of one gallon per day per person; preparedness includes stocking at least two cases of bottled water. Contamination is a risk during disasters, so it's important to have access to water purification methods and filtering systems. Awareness of dehydration symptoms and practical water storage tips are crucial for emergency situations.

1. AFTER 3 DAYS WITH NO WATER; WE DIE. What We Need To Know and Do about Water for Preparation and Survival

2. Over 3/4ers of our body is composed of fluid. Just passively existing, we lose almost a half gallon per day. That goes up drastically if we are active.

3. Thus we need one gallon of water per day at a minimum. This equals eight standard 16.9 oz/500ml water bottles (most common size) per day.

4. The quickest and most effective emergency preparation we can do is stock water. A minimum of one case of bottles per person (three days worth). I recommended it be at least 2 cases per person. Just grab it the next time you’re in the store. Do it now!

5. A 5% drop in body fluid will cause a 25% drop in energy level. A 15% drop will cause death. It is estimated that 80% of people are chronically dehydrated.

6. Assume all water in nature to be contaminated. Giardia is no fun. During catastrophes, your regular water sources are often contaminated. How safe is your everyday drinking water?

7. We’re seeing two trends: Drought which is causing water shortages in many places. Contaminated water supplies due to aging infrastructure will grow in number.

8. I highly recommend no matter where you live, have at least a basic under sink filter on one tap, from which you draw all the water you are going to drink. 80% of all natural disasters are accompanied by floods, which taint the water supply.

9. 4 full 500ml water bottles . This is your immediate emergency supply if you have no time to fill up your . . . Containers . Either a built in water supply such as a Camelbak or pockets/clips for water carriers. Most packs have external loops on which you can secure canteens and water carriers. Your first priority is to fill up this container with potable water or from your household water stash if bugging out. The four water bottles are to sustain you to get to that point. They also then become extra water containers. WATER-Grab-n-Go Bag

10. A built in Camelback can be useful. Canteens. I have a military issue 2 quart in my bag. Water bottles. (All links to gear detailed at end) Water Carrier

11. I’m a bit old school, but I carry a metal canteen, which goes inside a rudimentary cut out stove (used with heat tabs listed later) which goes inside a canteen cup, which goes inside a carry case that has a pocket where I put purification tablets. It’s not high speed but it’s what I used for years in Special Forces and great for quickly brewing up a cup of coffee with a heat tab.

12. On my JeepGladiator I carry a 15 liter plastic container inside. I use that for camping. On my back rack, I carry two 2 gallon rotopax containers. Water Carrier

13. C ompressible water containers . For after establishing base camp Purification . Lifestraw or equivalent and two bottles purification tablets. Water

14. You must have a way of filtering water for your family. Besides the life straw and pills, there are ones that produce more volume. There is also a slightly more expensive system that doesn’t require pumping and works via gravity. Either one can be a lifesaver for your family.

15. There are water bottles with the filter built into the bottle which combines both filter and water carrier— Survivemate bottle filter. I carry this all the time.

16. In an emergency, we have water in our house that we don’t readily think of: The water heater. The water pipes. The toilet tank (not the bowl).

17. In an emergency you can purify water by disinfecting it.

18. Water in Nature Purify all water you aren’t certain is pure. Collected rainwater is usually safe if the surface it comes off of isn’t contaminated. Eating snow or ice without melting first will reduce your core temperature which is never good. If you have to melt either to get drinkable water, use ice rather than snow as it takes less energy.

19. No matter what you’ve read or heard, do not drink the following: SEAWATER: is 4% salt. It takes 2 quarts of body fluid to get rid of 1 quart of seawater, thus you’re dehydrating yourself. BLOOD: is considered a food, since it’s salty and requires bodily fluids to process. It can also contain diseases. (unless you’re a vampire) URINE: is 2% salt and contains waste. There is a reason your body is getting rid of it. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Dehydrate you and cloud your judgment.

20. SoDis Water Disinfection Solar Water Disinfection: Find a clean, clear plastic bottle no more than three liters (1 liter is slightly more than one quart). It needs to be a PET bottle. You can tell by looking on the bottom. Most will say if they are PET or PETE. Otherwise it will have a number. You want a #1. The narrower the bottle, the better for solar penetration.

21. SoDis Water Disinfection Fill it three quarters full with clear water, or water you have filtered through sand, cloth or whatever you have available. Shake the bottle in order to get as much oxygen as possible into the water. Fill the rest of the bottle and replace the lid. Place the bottle in direct sunlight for six to eight hours. You can increase the efficiency by placing the bottle on a reflective surface such as metal or aluminum foil. If you have to move, hang the bottle on the outside of your pack.

22. SoDis Disinfection How SoDis works? The sunlight treats the water through three ways; all involve the sun’s radiation. UVA reacts with the oxygen dissolved in the water to produce a highly reactive form with free radicals and hydrogen peroxide, which kills microorganisms. UVA interferes with the reproductive cycle of bacteria by crippling their DNA. The sunlight heats the water and once it gets it above 122 degrees, the disinfection works three times faster.

23. Water and Plastic While I recommend bottled water for your emergency supply, the reality is that bottled water contains micro plastic particles. The bottles are also bad for the environment. For our drinking water we use metal bottles that we fill from our filtered tap. This gets rid of drinking micro-plastic and is good for the environment. When storing water in plastic, check the type: use PET or PETA#s 1, 2, 4 and 7. Avoid thin plastic such as milk or gallon water jugs. They will eventually leak, especially if not stored in a cool place.

24. Water Bottles and Containers If they are not sealed, such as water bottles from the store that haven’t been opened, make sure you change them out constantly. Also decontaminate containers such as Camelback’s. The same with things such as the Rotopax I carry on my Jeep. I forgot this one time and ended up with green and undrinkable water since I’d left it too long on the rack. I decontaminate all my water containers on a regular basis using bottle cleaning tablets (both containers and lids). I know people who’ve caught nasty bugs from water bottles they don’t clean.

25. Water First Aid Signs of dehydration are: Dark urine with a very strong odor Low Urine Output Dark, sunken eyes Fatigue Emotional instability Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke and Over-Hydration are covered in the book.

26. Dark and/or smelly urine usually indicates dehydration.

27. Water Rules of thumb in nature in extreme emergencies: Running water is better than still water. Water coming out of a spring is better than running water. Clear water is better than cloudy or discolored water. Avoid water with algae. Avoid swamp or marshland water.

28. Water Scavenging In essence, a sealed water bottle has no expiration. Also, consider houses with high end filtering systems— get the filters, connect, let gravity push water through them.

29. More Free Information I’ve put all the links to free apps, all gear mentioned and web pages on my web site at www.bobmayer.com Go to the GEAR page There are also free books on my web site, updated daily.

30. New York Times bestselling author, a graduate of West Point and former Green Beret. He commanded a Green Beret A-Team and also served in a variety of other positions. He was a certified instructor at the JFK Special Warfare Center & School which trains Green Berets and also runs the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school. www.bobmayer.com