JUNE 2022 HURRICANE DISTRICT 10 PREPAREDNESS LETTER
There’s the anecdote (a true one, of course) of the man who answered a survey about how much food he had stored up for a rainy day. He proudly announced that his collection was sufficient for two whole years. The follow-up question was about how much water he had stored. Deflated, he admitted that he had none of that. Doubtless, much of his food supply was dehydrated. Either way, food without water just isn’t going to matter too much.
We are Todd and MaryAnn Furse and water storage and purification will be the subject of our first stab at a Hurricane District 10 Emergency Preparedness letter. We hope you will receive these monthly installments in the spirit they are given; as friendly motivation to be ready for times of need and a source of ideas and resources, no matter the cause. In addition to this post we also emailed this letter to many of you. The advantage of facebook is that here you can add suggestions or share resources (like, where a good sale is on some storage or emergency item), but please; absolutely no politics, no religion and no bad manners. Our disclaimers include that we are simply fellow citizens trying to share ideas. We claim no expertise or responsibility and we are not trying to advertise for anyone as we list sources. We welcome input for sources and ideas via reply emails or, best and as said, facebook comments.
So, let’s get on with it:
HOME WATER SUPPLY CONCEPTS
Admittedly Hurricane is not likely to experience a widespread contamination issue which would necessitate everyone scrambling down to the banks of the Rio Virgin to haul water out on their backs and to their homes. BUT, we do live on a major fault line, rely on piping and, depending on how bad our current drought gets (possible rationing at some point?) or for other reasons, it’s always a good idea to have some on hand and a way to purify it (yes, you’d need to filter water from any rivers or reservoirs around here). Okay, that was a run-on sentence, but keep in mind the basic recommendation of a minimum of 2 gallons per person per day for drinking and cooking (you get to decide how many days you will have on hand for, but we’d recommend AT LEAST 3 day’s worth and 2 week’s if possible).
Some great sources of advice for all kinds of water things, such as how much bleach or other preservatives to add to what size of water container, include the following:
CONTAINERS
There are several sources for water containers, both locally and online. Plan and organize your space before you buy. If you’re going big, consider something that can be elevated by a sturdy palette or blocks and boards to keep it off cement and provide space for a spigot at the bottom (which is a real good idea). For 50 gallon barrels, shop emergency preparedness sources for quality pumps (unless you are reeeeally good at syphoning). Be sure to recycle. Keep in mind that color is important to prevent algae growth (https://blog.enduraplas.com/.../plastic-water-tanks-does.... See the sites listed above for chemical purification guidelines as well). Also consider these points: https://beprepared.com/.../5-myths-about-water-storage
This is by no means an exhaustive list:
Scholzen’s Products in Hurricane has large tanks with spigots on the bottom: A 1000 gallon, 64” diameter, 80” high black (recommended) runs around $1425 or white around $1246. A 500 gal., 48” dia., 72” ht runs about $764. Prices and availability may have changed since we talked with them. Call Christian Harrison at 435-635-1218 or Mervin Cox at 435-635-4441.
If you want a screaming deal on used 50 gallon storage barrels call Ronnie Donovan at 435-218-2041. They are going for $15 apiece! Right now she is have a special of 4 for $50. You can choose blue or white and have 2 bung lids on top (you can buy bung wrenches at food storage places). They have had vinegar or soy sauce in them, so you have to clean them out. But this is a very good deal.
YFSM Store (Your Family Still Matters) in St. George is an excellent source for many sizes and kinds of water storage containers. They also have recommendations and products for purification which we will discuss below. Here is their site and a flier with prices: https://bereadyfoods.com/.../water-storage/water-containers/(from https://bereadyfoods.com/)
Lagacy is an online source: https://www.legacyfoodstorage.com/.../emergency-water...(from https://www.legacyfoodstorage.com/)
Emergency Essentials is also an online store. Just go to https://beprepared.com/ and click “Water” along the top menu and choose your area.
Case lot sales often have the blue 50 gallon barrels on sale.
WATER FILTRATION and PURIFICATION
This is a deep subject best left to qualified experts (we would likely be considered more like ex-spurts on this…has-been drips under pressure), so we strongly recommend studying the “Home Water Supply Concepts” resources listed above. There are different types of methods and filters; some addressing chemical concerns, some bacterial contamination and some both (pay attention to the “microns”). Some use ceramics or other types of filters, and some use chemicals. There are sites with related discussions that you should check out, https://practicalselfreliance.com/emergency-water/being an excellent one. There are many great places to find water purification products including every size needed; from taking a hike along a river to providing for a family or even hundreds in a crisis. We will list a few sources, but, again, it’s important to educate yourself and choose what would best fit your family’s needs:
(for many people: https://lifestraw.com/products/lifestraw-community...)
RECIPE
Remember to store the right amount of water, along with drinking water, for recipes that you would like to be able to make during shortages. Here is an example:
Easy Spaghetti:
4 cups water, 1 - 8 oz. package spaghetti noodles, 1 – pint home-canned (cooked) hamburger, 1 – 10 oz. jar spaghettis sauce, ½ tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ cup parmesan cheese (for garnish).
Boil pasta 6 to 7 minutes and drain. Combine all other ingredients, besides noodles and cheese, and simmer over medium heat until bubbling and smells done. To serve, top noodles with sauce and cheese.
NERDY TIP
One “trick” for water storage may slightly reduce your power bill and save you money when you go camping or picnicking: Thoroughly clean and fill used 2-liter pop bottles, gallon juice bottles, etc. with water (actually leave at least 1/10th of the bottle unfilled since water expands as it freezes and will crack containers if not given air space). Keep the bottles in your freezer. This will give you a source of cold water for travelling when you take it out and top it off with running water. You can also put them in a cooler with food so you don’t have to buy ice (and it stays in the bottle as it thaws so your cheese doesn’t get soggy). The cool thing is (pun intended), the bottles will take up airspace in your freezer, which increases the efficiency of your freezer because it takes a lot less energy to keep solid ice cold, once it reaches its freezing point, than it does empty air space. The bottles of ice will also keep your freezer cold longer when there is a power outage.
END NOTES
This first letter is really late. We both have been involved in ending a school year, family stuff, vacations and gathering email addresses for this letter. (Then I went and hurt my wrist really bad and didn’t want to type too much). “District 10” is one of many that Hurricane City has set up as part of their emergency preparedness system. Just so you know, they are based, by the city, on LDS Church congregation boundaries (why re-invent the wheel?), but are in no way meant to be a tool for said church to proselyte. If you do not wish to receive these emails, just shoot me a private one and you will be removed from the list.
We attached to the email, for those who are interested, the last four “Back to Basics” Newsletter from our Hurricane preparedness specialists. These share TONS of practical knowledge about all kinds of areas of preparedness. From here on out we will attach the one only for the current month.
If you have questions about preparedness please call us at 435-216-8784 or 435-772-2590. If we don’t know something we’ll do our best to find out or point you in the right direction.
Thank you very much!
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