subject: Water And Fire: Essential For Your 72 Hour Kit [print this page] Most people are aware that a 72 hour kit for each person in their home is essential. There are some items that go into that kit that are easy to make at home.
Here we will discuss the easy ways to ready the things in your kit if disaster strikes. You can pack drinking water in your kit but once that is gone, do you know how to sanitize water?
Do you have a way to start a fire and the essential tools needed for that? Both water, and heat for warmth and cooking are very important to your survival.
Here we will discuss ways you can safely take care of both if you find yourself in an emergency.
Boiling water is actually the best. Short of using a very high-quality water filter, this is the most reliable method for killing microbes and parasites.
Bring water to a rolling boil and keep it simmering for at least several minutes. Add one minute of boiling to the initial 10 minutes for every 1,000 feet above sea level.
Cover the pot to shorten boiling time and conserve fuel. In an emergency, think of this (one gallon of regular bleach) as 3,800 gallons of drinking water.
When the tap water stops flowing, regular bleach isn't just a laundry-aid, it's a lifesaver. Use it to purify water, and you'll have something to drink.
It's the same in any natural disaster. As the shock wears off and the days wear on, the biggest demand is for drinking water. Time after time, relief crews hand out free bleach with simple instructions: use it to kill bacteria in your water and you'll have purified water to drink.
Here's how: (Store these directions with your emergency bottle of bleach.) First let water stand until particles settle.
Pour the clear water into an uncontaminated container and add bleach per the chart.* Mix well. Wait 30 min.
Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat dose.
Wait 15 min, sniff again. Keep an eyedropper taped to your emergency bottle of bleach, since purifying small amounts of water requires only a few drops. See chart* suggestions for storage bottle replacement.
Don't pour purified water into contaminated containers. Without water and electricity, even everyday tasks are tough.
In lieu of steaming hot water, sanitize dishes with a little bleach. Just follow the directions below to keep dishes clean.
Whether you use bleach in an emergency or for everyday chores, it's always an environmentally sound choice. After its work is done, bleach breaks down to little more than salt and water, which is good news anytime.
Ratio of bleach to Water for Purification - 2 drops of Regular bleach per quart of water, 8 drops of Regular bleach per gallon of water, 1/2 teaspoon bleach per five gallons of water, if water is cloudy, double the recommended dosages of bleach.
Only use regular bleach (not Fresh Scent or Lemon Fresh). To insure that bleach is at its full strength, replace your storage bottle every three months.
How about starting a fire? Do you have the tools you need for that?
To waterproof your own matches you can do one of two things. First, you can dip the first half of the match in melted wax. You can use old candle stubs or canning wax/paraffin wax for this. Dry, then dip the other half to completely seal the match.
Or you can dip the first half of the match in clear nail polish. Dry, then dip the other half to completely seal the match.
If you want to pack away some fire-starters for your kit, fill the holes of an empty egg carton with sawdust, or dryer lint, or fabric scraps. Pour melted wax over each and let cool. Store in sealed plastic bags.
For waterproof fire-starters, tightly roll newspapers or fabric scraps about 1 1/2 inches thick and 3 inches long, wind string tightly around the roll to hold the roll together. Completely submerge in melted wax. Dry then store.
After dipping the matches and rolls, lay them on a sheet of clean wax paper to dry thoroughly. After they are dry, place them in the waterproof container (or plastic bag) and store away until needed.
