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Emergency Preparedness Tips
At the
November 2006 session of the South Orange County Community
Emergency Preparedness Academy, SMWD Director of Operations
Dave Seymour spoke about the District’s emergency response
plan. The safety tips that Seymour shared at the
workshop provide valuable pointers for residents who want to
be prepared for an emergency.
Seymour’s
tips are focused primarily on water. Your emergency
preparedness plan should also cover first aid, supplies and
other considerations. Visit
www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/
or
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/
for more information on these aspects of your
emergency preparedness program.
Before
emergencies strike:
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Stock up on
emergency supplies. Generally, you need enough food,
water and other supplies to last for three days. Take
into consideration the following items:
-
Plan on
having one gallon of clean water per person per day.
If you have pets, plan on at least one gallon of
water per pet per day as well.
-
What are
you and your family’s individual water needs based
on age, physical condition, activity, diet, and
climate? Children, nursing mothers, and ill people
need more water.
-
Store
extra water for unexpected conditions, such as very
hot temperatures or medical emergencies.
-
Purchase and
store commercially bottled water for emergency use
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If you must
store tap water for emergencies:
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Use
sanitized two-liter soda bottles. Do not use milk or
fruit juice containers.
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Thoroughly clean the bottles with dishwashing soap
and water, and rinse completely so there is no
residual soap.
-
Sanitize
the bottles by adding a solution of 1 teaspoon of
non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to a
quart of water.
-
Rinse out
the sanitizing solution thoroughly using clean
water.
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Mark the
bottle with the date you filled it.
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Store in
a cool, dark place and replace every six months
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Stabilize
your water heater with strong straps bolted securely
into the wall.
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Keep a tool
for shutting off water and gas meters in a handy and
accessible place.
After
Emergencies Strike
Following
an emergency or natural disaster, take the following steps
to ensure that you and your family’s water supply
remains safe:
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Check inside
and outside your home for obvious water leaks.
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If you smell
gas or suspect a gas leak, turn off your main gas valve.
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Immediately
shut off your house’s main water valve. This will
keep the water in your water heater from becoming
contaminated.
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Check your
water tap. If you have water pressure, fill up
your bathtub or sink. This water can be used for
cleaning, washing, etc.
-
Use your
emergency water supply sparingly.
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If water is
contaminated, purify water before drinking by bringing
it to a boil for at least five minutes.
-
Turn the
water heater thermostat to the “vacation” setting so you
can draw room-temperature water from it.
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To disinfect
water in an emergency:
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First,
filter cloudy water through a clean towel, coffee
filters, pillow cases, etc., to remove any large
solid materials.
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Boil
water at a rolling boil for 5 minutes.
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Let it
cool and store it in a clean, covered container.
OR
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Disinfect
water using only regular household liquid bleach
that contains 5.25% sodium hypochlorite. Do not use
scented bleaches, color safe bleaches or bleaches
with added cleaners
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Add plain
bleach to water with an eyedropper. Recommended
amounts are in the table below. If you don’t know
the strength, use 10 drops per quart.
|
Available Chlorine |
Drops per Quart/Gallon of
Clear Water |
Drops per Liter of Clear
Water |
|
1% |
10 per quart - 40 per
gallon (let’s get a tsp or Tsp here) |
10 per liter |
|
4-6% |
2 per quart - 8 per gallon
(1/8 teaspoon) |
2 per liter |
|
7-10% |
1 per quart - 4 per gallon |
1 per liter |
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Thoroughly stir the
treated water and allow it to stand for 30 minutes before
using. A slight chlorine odor should be detectable in the
water. If it is not, repeat the dosage and let it stand
another 15 minutes before using. Treated water may have a
slight chlorine taste, but this is additional evidence of
safety.
Since
liquid chlorine bleach loses strength over time, only fresh
bleach should be used for water disinfection. For bleach
that is 1 to 2 years old, the dosage should be doubled.
Bleach older than two years should not be used unless
absolutely necessary because of uncertainty as to how much
the active ingredients may have deteriorated. bleach loses
strength over time, only fresh bleach should
be used for water disinfection. For bleach that is 1
to 2 years old, the
dosage should be
doubled. Bleach older than two years should not be
used unless absolutely necessary because of
uncertainty as to how much the active ingredients
may have deteriorated.
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