Is There Water you Need to Avoid During a Disaster or Emergency Situation?

It seems like no matter how often you turn on the TV news or
open a newspaper, there's somewhere in the world that is facing
some type of natural disaster or other emergency situation. Have
you ever thought about what would happen to you and your family
if something similar were to happen in the area where you live?
Would you be able to find drinking water that would be safe
enough to drink? Since your body is 60% made up of water, water
replenishment is essential for the continuation of life. In America,
we all tend to take our clean drinking water for granted, because
all we have to do is turn on the tap, and we have all the water we
need. However, if an emergency were to strike, it could well
contaminate public water supplies, and drinking that water could
be lethal. So how do you know if your water has been
contaminated? Read on for some information everyone needs to
know.

How does Water become Contaminated?

If an emergency has occurred, you need to listen to any
emergency broadcasts that are being made. Announcements will
be made if the disaster has contaminated the public water
systems. Weather disasters, such as a hurricane, a tornado, or an
earthquake could throw the water system out of balance. Never
drink tap water after an emergency until emergency personnel
have told you it's safe.  The water could be contaminated with
bacteria and micro-organisms which would appear invisible to you
but which could make you very sick. If you're outside, you don't
want to just take it for granted that natural water sources are
untainted, either.  You could drink the water and ingest deadly
bacteria which might not make you sick right away but which could
incubate in your body and cause you to get seriously ill down the
line. You may have no symptoms telling you that the water you
drank was contaminated, but you may also start experiencing
fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or bloody
stools.

Stay Away from Water that can Make you Sick

It's a pretty good bet that certain water sources may be
contaminated and shouldn't be used as drinking water. Here are a
few of the ones you need to avoid:

1.  Although waterbeds aren't as plentiful as they once were, many
people still have them in their homes. Never drink the water out of
the waterbed. The water will probably be filled with chemicals
designed to control the growth of bacteria, fungi, and algae. If
there are no chemicals in the water, then it's a sure bet that the
bacteria, fungi, and algae will be.

2. Take a look at the water. If it appears to be cloudy or you can
see chunks floating in it, don't drink it.

3.  If you aren't positive water is safe for consumption, take steps
to purify it before drinking it.

4.  Contaminated water should never be used in washing dishes,
food preparation, hand washing, teeth brushing, ice making, or the
preparation of baby formula.  Even though you wouldn't be
drinking the water directly, enough of it could still get into your
system to make you sick.

5.  Listen to information on emergency broadcasts to find out
about water sources that may be contaminated with chemicals or
radioactive substances. This is water you should definitely avoid.

This list of contaminated water sources was in no way exhaustive.
If you need further information,  there will be community and
Internet resources available where you can learn what you need
to know to keep your family safe in case of an emergency.  There
are some basic steps you can take ahead of time that will prepare
you for an emergency. If you have a baby that drinks formula, by
all means keep a supply of ready-mixed baby formula on hand for
emergency use.  Buy some alcohol-based hand sanitizer which
you'll be able to use to wash hands and keep them free from
contaminants. In addition, make sure that you have a back-up plan
for keeping an open supply of drinking water no matter what type
of disaster hits.  You can keep a supply of water on hand for
emergencies, but you will need to change it periodically.  You could
also do some advance research to find out what other community
water resources might be available in times of emergency so you'll
have the water you need when you need it.