How to Properly Store Your Water

By More Food

October is the month of Halloween, fall decorations, and pumpkin related foods. However, it is also still a part of hurricane season. According to the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, a typical hurricane season occurs from June to November, with peak activity occurring in the months of August, September, and October.

Preparing for events like this one is extremely important. Knowing how to store your food is essential in case of power outages. But something most people forget about is water. Our bodies are composed of 60% water and we lose water throughout the day by evaporation from the skin, going to the bathroom, and just by breathing. As a result, we need to drink water to replace those losses.

During natural disasters, making sure that you have access to clean and safe water can be lifesaving. You must avoid flood water as it may contain sewage. Eating or drinking anything contaminated by floodwater can lead to serious health problems, including gastrointestinal illness and reproductive issues, according to the CDC.

For floods and other emergency situations, it may be necessary to buy and keep bottled water on hand. If you are a SNAP/FNS recipient, you can use your benefits to purchase water bottles at different stores or online.

Here we also have some tips on what you can do to ensure your water’s availability for emergency situations:

  • Check expiration dates before storing for long periods of time
  • Rotate your stock to use the water with the closest expiration date
  • Label large containers as “drinking water”
  • Avoid areas of direct sunlight when storing water
  • Avoid areas with contaminants such as gasoline and pesticides
  • Keep water stored in a place with a fairly constant cool temperature (CDC-c)

Water is just as important to our bodies as food, so take the time to plan ahead and prepare for potential power outages in your area.

For questions about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or to receive SNAP Application Assistance contact the More In My Basket staff:

Visit: morefood.org

English Toll Free: 1-855-240-1451

Spanish Toll Free: 1-888-382-7105

Information Accessed at: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/#:~:text=The%20official%20hurricane%20season%20for,%2DAugust%20and%20mid%2DOctober. and https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/creating-storing-emergency-water-supply.html

Photo by Bluewater Sweden on Unsplash