Purifying Water for Drinking

The hurricane season was ushered in with gentle sea breezes and plenty of sunshine but after a few days the heavy rains came and it is going to stay with us for the coming week.  The weathermen did not have a promising forecast.  It bothers me to hear of the severe weather and possible hurricanes that we may encounter.

I was having coffee in the summer kitchen when I pulled out the Hurricane Guide for 2013 from the morning paper.  I became quite concerned when I saw one list after another of things to do in case of evacuation.  Another equally long list had things to do if I decided to stay put and weather the storm.  Not to mention the grocery list and the list for the hardware store.  It was clear to me that I was not ready to stay nor was I ready to leave.

An interesting piece of information in the Hurricane Guide told how to purify water for drinking as specified by the Red Cross.  For a gallon of water (about 4 liters) add sixteen (16) drops of liquid chlorine bleach. "A sodium hypoclorite concentration of 5.25 to 6 percent should be the only active ingredient in the bleach." I had to go and check the bottle of bleach by my washing machine and it qualified.  Also, no added soap or fragrance should be in the bleach.

Let it stand for 30 minutes.

This is important:  If it smells of chlorine, you can use it.  If it does not, add 16 more drops to the gallon/4 liters of water.  Let it stand another 30 minutes.  Use it if it smells of chlorine.  If it does not, discard it, and find another source of water.

The guide recommended that we have seven (7) gallons of water for each person for a 72 hour period if we should decide to stay during a hurricane.  Now I wish that I had saved all those milk bottles.

Source:  2013 Emergency Preparedness Guide prepared by The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville FL

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