Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Monday, August 4, 2014

State Of Emergency Declared ~ Are You Prepared?


While we were out camping, Saturday the state governor declared a state of emergency - the water was/is not safe.  I linked it above for anyone interested in reading it.  

I found this interesting, as I had just been reading another blog (The Way Grandma Does It) in regards to outbreaks of illness and how to prepare for it.

Do you think any of the half-a-million people were/are prepared to have no safe water supply?  Stores were emptied quickly.  Many stores closed due to this (and who could not operate without water supply), people got into fights, and then there were/are those who bought up and sold it at higher prices to take advantage of their demise.  Unfortunately, in today's world, I don't think we'll ever get rid of people who do that sort of thing.


We had been in one store, about 50 minutes from the mainly affected city, and there was a woman behind us buying water.  She said, while she was in the store, someone had already taken water from her cart.

As of Sunday evening, they were postponing the next update until 10pm.  At that point, the water was still not safe - no bathing, no washing hands, etc.  People had pets to water and were told to not give it to their pets/animals.  People are told to use paper plates, and to not wash their dishes in this water.  To see what is in the water, read this local newspaper article:  System safe but water advisory remains in effect.

As of this morning, I have not found any updates that the water is safe again.  I am thankful that I am one of the very few who still have a well.  I'm thankful I put in rain barrels too.  I also keep 10-15 gallons of water on hand each week.

There are a few different ways to filter rain water.  Here is one:  100-Year-Old Way to Filter. . .  

My question is, are you prepared to wake up one day and find out you have no useable/drinkable water for days? Possibly longer?

9 comments:

Mama Pea said...

We, too, are fortunate to have our own well water which is wonderful and plentiful. I don't think the majority of people ever even think about how they would function without a safe water supply. Things really come to a screeching halt when no water is available. Even more so than with no electricity.

Carolyn said...

A good wake up call for those not in the area, and a slap in the ass to those in the area that they are NOT prepared. Wonder if it will change the way they prepare? Unfortunately, most wont.

longtime wife said...

they say it is ok now, but I certainly would be leery of that

Patricia @ 9th and Denver said...

I guess you could say, I have some water stored.
IN MY SWIMMING POOL...
and No, I'm not afraid to use it.
However, It would be better if I followed your link for a refresher on how to sanitize water in order to drink it.
Not to mention if the power ever went out...well, I'd be looking at ALGAE MYSELF-- and lots of it. So, ...bottled water,rain water, and well, definitely sound better. :)

thanks for the reminder.

Kim said...

I keep 50 gallon drinking water and have several ways of decontaminating water such as the pool water or water from the rain barrels. It is sad to me that folks do not think ahead at all for things such as this.

Kelly said...

No and we were just discussing this yesterday! Water is so important. For our family of five I might have three-four days worth stored. The animals would go thirsty :/

Susan said...

Good wake-up call! I invested in a Berkey filtering system some years ago and love it. It filters out everything! I also have a well, a rain barrel system and a neighbor with a spring-fed source that I can tap into. People forget how important and vital water is to ALL of us.

EMMA said...

Goodness that sounds a bit scary.
I'm most definitely not prepared for something like that happening here!! I have taken note!

Unknown said...

We keep about 65 gallon on hand and have a good outdoor filter. Since we live near rivers and lakes, we could go get more and filter it...