The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Are you prepared for this hurricane season? Last Water Wednesday, the Family Consumer Sciences Agents LuAnn Duncan in Sumter County and Lisa Hamilton in Volusia County gave us an informative talk about emergency water supplies.
How to prepare your emergency water supplies? Here is what Ms. LuAnn tells us:
- Having safe drinking water during a hurricane is important. Many people wait to buy water so many stores run out everyone gets what they need. It can cost a lot of money to have enough store- bought water. Since we need one gallon of water per day – per person, that can also take a lot of space in your home. So, you can save milk cartons, plastic tea jugs, even vinegar bottles to store water. Only use containers that have held food or are safe for food. Only use containers that have been cleaned and sanitized.
- To clean containers, use soapy water and wash them well, then rinse them so that there is no soap left in the bottles. Then to kill germs, add 1/3 cup chlorine bleach to 1 gallon of water (CDC.gov). Use only plain chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite concentration of 5%–6%) that does not have any additives for scent or to make it “splash-free.” Add the solution to the bottle, add the lid and roll it around till all areas inside the bottle are coated. You can re-use the solution for 24 hours. After that, you will have to make a new batch. Empty the container and allow it to set for at least 2 minutes before rinsing or adding water for storage.
To watch the Water Wednesday recording, please click the video below.