How to Get Water After a Hurricane Strikes If Your Electricity and Water Are Off

When a hurricane hits, the affected area and surrounding areas are often left without electricity and water for several days, if not several weeks. The first days of an emergency situation like a hurricane are usually the most difficult if you didn't have preparations made in advance. The one thing most needed other than food is water. But how can you get water if your water supply is shut off?

Obviously there are a few different reasons that water is needed after a hurricane hits. Drinking water is needed, water might be needed for cooking if you have a way to prepare foods without electricity, water is needed for pets, and water is needed for sanitary purposes.

Drinking and cooking water from the tap probably needs to be boiled if you are using city water that was affected from flood waters due to a hurricane. Your local news should inform you if this is the case.

For drinking water, if you are able to obtain ice or have ice, it should be clean water that was used to make the ice, so once the ice has melted it can be used as drinking water.

Water for pets can be obtained from the melted ice in coolers or even from water in back of the toilet's water holding tank IF the tank has clean water in it. This should only be used if you don't use a cleaner that hangs in the holding tank. Since the tank only holds water, it's perfectly safe for pets to drink.

If you caught up buckets of water to use to flush the toilet during the power outage time and you run out of this water, there are options for obtaining water to flush with. If you live near a swimming pool, river or lake, or it's raining, these water can be used to keep your toilets flushed and sanitary. If you live near a running stream where the water is moving, that water can be used to drink or cook with. Although it isn't necessary, it can be boiled first.

If you have plants and keep plant water in a container, that water can be used also for flushing even if you have plant fertilizer in the water for the plants. If it's cleaner water, it can be used for pets or possibly even for human consumption depending on how clean the water and container are.

Sometimes electricity and water are restored to other local areas before yours, so it's a good idea to check friends and family to see if they have utilities back up. This same idea goes both ways. Sharing that you have utilities restored can be a help to others in need.

Local and state aid usually begins to arrive after about the third day of a major disaster such as a hurricane. These usually give out water, ice, and food to those who need these items. The locations for this aid can often be found on the ground of local churches. If you don't have access to a radio or news but are able to drive, check out your area churches for this aid.

Running out of water can be a nightmare if you don't know what to do to obtain more, especially when a hurricane strikes in very hot weather. Knowing what to do to get water can make a nightmare into a very bearable situation until utilities are restored.