Many households prepare for emergency cases such as disasters and earthquakes by organizing food and storage supplies that they will use for their survival. The power of the nature is impressive and we have passed through many hurricanes, snow storms and tornadoes to be aware of the fact that we need to take precautions if we want to protect our families and pets when use this food and water supplies.

After all we need to know how to clean and disinfect the items so that they could be preserved in the best way. The preventive measures are more than required in such emergencies and the first thing to pay attention to, is the condition of the food and water. You might think that the look of the food and water supplies is appropriate enough to use it , however, you need to know ways in which to disinfect everything in case of emergencies.

How to Disinfect Water ?

There are certainly many ways in which to disinfect the the water supplies depending on the amount of the water as well as on other factors. One of them is to use calcium hypochlorite. A 1-pound pag of this substance is able to treat about 10,000 gallons of water and it tends to be one best chemical disinfectants for water.

It can destroy many disease causing organisms such as spores, bacteria as well as viruses. When disinfecting water with calcium hypochlorite you need to add one part of the substance to 100 parts of water that will be treated. The mixture stays for at least one-half an hour before it could be used for drinking.

In some emergency cases you may not be able to use stored water and you need to search for natural sources like creeks or streams. In this case you should filter the water before taking up with the disinfecting. You can use a portable filter like hiker but its should be smaller than 1 micron. If heat is available in your home, you can also disinfect the water by boiling it for about 10 to 15 minutes.

How to Take Care of the Food Supplies?

In case of emergencies you need to take care of the disinfecting of the food supplies and utensils if you want to reduce the risk of bacteria and viruses on their surface. For the dishes that will be used, you had better use the chlorine bleach solution method. The dishes need to be soaked into the solution of bleach and water for a couple of minutes.

Here the hot water method is also a possible solution. The food supplies may not be dehydrated but take into account that canned foods and dry mixes will keep their freshness for a longer time. If you have containers of ice, use them – that will help for keeping the food cold and suitable for eating . You can also wrap the food in boxes in a safe way so that you can protect them insects and from rodents.

If you want to make sure that you and your family have enough safe food and water supplies, we advise you to follow the instructions for the most appropriate preserving of the items. One never knows when disasters are approaching, however, every person needs to be prepared to endure the stress and to make the situation less uncomfortable. Whether there are storms or tornadoes, every responsible person should think about the best precautions for the food and water supplies. We hope that we have been helpful and that you will apply some of the methods in case of emergencies.

Posted by The Survivalist Blog