Hurricane Helene 800 mile Path of Destruction; Hurricane Milton –
Clean Drinking Water During Flooding, Hurricanes, & Natural Disasters  

The number one thing all life needs during, and post disaster is water. This comes as a requirement before food and before shelter for survival. Recent storms and flooding devastation news coverage in the USA, Europe, Nigeria, Shanghai, and India has highlighted once again the power of water during hurricane, monsoon, and other flooding events.

Hurricane Helene has created a 800 mile+ path of destruction in six states (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky) and potentially 4.5 million citizens have been directly or indirectly impacted by this natural disaster. With these impacts, there are a lot of obvious signs of damages, such as: power lines damaged, roads destroyed, homes collapsed, homes washed away, landscapes destroyed, landslides, water and wastewater plants not operational, mud left everywhere, and dirty surface waters filled with debris. What is hidden during these events is the impact of this inundation on groundwater resources. Much of this area was serviced by on-site (typically individual homeowner owned and maintained) water wells that need to be assessed for damages and treated prior to next unfiltered and boiled use. For individuals in urban areas, the impact on the city water distribution system and water treatment facilities that are still operational also need guidance regarding the safety of their water

Pre-Disaster Water Preparedness

Our suggestions are as follows:

1. Try not to panic!
2. Make sure there is at least 1 gallon of clean drinking water per person per day that it is expected to be impacted or a minimum of 3-days.
3. Make sure you fill a bathtub and other receptacles with water for flushing toilets.
4. Prep a go-bag if you need to evacuate and in it include: some DIY water testing kits and supplies, portable water filter, emergency tablets, matches, pouched drinking water, some clean containers, Solar Power Generator, and a portable crank rechargeable radio.
5. You should also learn the location of the local springs and flowing artesian wells and get them tested ahead of the storm as a backup water supply. (This does not include surface water sources like streams, ponds, or lakes.)

If an area is expecting unusually heavy rains, potential for flood events, hurricanes, monsoon rains – any natural water event that will put stress on the tributaries, rivers, lakes, and reservoir systems in an area, it is recommended to maintain a personal fresh water supply for the purpose of drinking and sanitary needs. The US CDC recommends 1 gallon of clean bottled drinking water per person be available for at least 3 days. Additionally at minimum households should fill their plugged, non-leaking bathtub with water for flushing toilets.

Some resources for storing water and filtering water are listed below:

Lifesaver Jerrycan Water Purifier - Military Spec, Heavy Duty Water Purifier for Overlanding, Camping, Hiking, Emergency Preparedness and Survival Kit
Freshwater Storage Systems

EVERLIT Complete 72 Hours Earthquake Bug Out Bag Emergency Survival Kit for Family. Be Prepared for Hurricanes, Floods, Tsunami, Other Disasters  (add Lifestraws)

Collapsible Rain Barrel, 100 Gallon Pro Rain Barrels to Collect Rainwater from Gutters, Portable Water Tank Storage Container for Garden Water Catcher with Spigots and Overflow Kit

Emergency Survival Water Distiller and Gravity Filter Combination 

Basic Low Cost Gravity Water Filtration System

Post Disaster Water Needs

Following a disaster safety is priority. Once physical safety is maintained, identification of a method of obtaining clean water is the next priority. It should be recognized that during flooding events – the water that was once in a stream, lake, or pond which may appear as a good source of water during non-flooding times, may now be severely contaminated with everything that entered the flood waters including chemicals, pesticides, petroleum products, and human waste. These all pose harmful situations if drinking water is not property treated. A make-shift filter can be created from some basic household items, but this only will filter out some color and taste nuisances from water – not health hazards.

Know Your H2O has developed guidance towards a make-shift filter that can be built during an emergency that will provide some level of filtration but will NOT remove all chemicals nor heavy metals and will ABSOLUTELY NOT treat any pathogenic health hazards like protozoa, bacteria, E. Coli., Giardia, and other human transmittable diseases. This method should only be utilized when there is an extreme dire need for water for survival and is not a recommended option for everyday filtration use. Following this filtration, the water should be boiled at a full rolling boil for 5 minutes. You will see some recommendations indicating 1 minute is sufficient, but this is only at sea level. At 6,500 feet a minimum of 3 minutes is needed. Know Your H2O recommends a full 5-minute rolling boil to address pathogenic concerns prior to drinking, preparing food, washing food containers, brushing teeth, etc. – any option where water will enter your mouth, eyes, abrasions, etc. needs a sanitizing boil.

Some reports from the recent southern Appalachia disaster have indicated that distillation of water will product healthful drinking water. Although this is an option for sanitization of pathogens, note that this method does not remove all chemicals nor heavy metals from water. It also removes the minerals the body needs to help regulate cellular hydration. If a still is available for distillation – it is not a bad option in a disaster situation for pathogenic treatment of the water.

Our recommendations are that water for survival from streams, lakes, ponds etc. be treated as follows:

1. Do not panic!
   
   
2. Use bottled water you have stored first. (i.e. pouches from your go-bag). Save these clean containers to use to create a filtration system if needed or store clean water through a filtration process.
   
   
3. Pre-filtration - This will remove some if not all of the discoloration, fine particulates, some organics like leaves and debris, as well as help to filter some of the metals and chemicals from the source – but not all. It does not remove all hazards and definitely does not remove pathogenic hazards.
1. At minimum using a portable potable water filter from your go-bag, a clean cloth, clean sock, paper towel, or even coffee filter.
2. You can try to make a DIY make-shift filtration system that includes an activated carbon layer.
   
   
4. Sanitize the water for pathogens:
   1. If you have water sanitization tablets – use them to sanitize the water.
   2. Alternatively, if you have 5% chlorine bleach that has no color, scent or other additives: Add 20 drops or less than 1/2 of a teaspoon of bleach to every 5 gallons of water and double this does if the water still appears discolored. (Source)
   3. Boiling for at least 5-minutes at a rolling boil (1 minute for elevations under 6500 feet above sea level and at least 3 minutes for those above 6500 feet above sea level) – OR – if available distillation. This is to sanitize the microscopic pathogenic organisms that will make you sick.
      
      
5. Transfer the water to clean containers and allow the water to cool. During the cooling process, you may want to shake or mix the water in the container to increase the dissolved gas content to improve taste. If you have some DIY water testing kits check for general water quality of the cooled water.
   
   
6. Store the boiled water in clean, sanitized containers with tight covers and consider buying some Pine Tree Company Travel Lite Filters.
   
   

KYH2O Makeshift Filter Advice: (After filtering – Sanitization BOIL is required before use)

Take a 1-liter plastic bottle that was used for soda, alcohol, or another beverage.

Cut off the bottom of the bottle – so that it has a height of about 1 inch.

Now Invert the bottle.

Cover the open end of the bottle with cheese cloth or coffee filter and secure it to the water bottle with a rubber band, etc.

1. Add a layer of cotton balls, coffee filter, clean towel or sock to the bottom.
2. Then add a layer of crushed charcoal
3. Then add a layer of rinsed, washed fine sand.
4. Then add a layer of rinsed, washed coarser sand.
5. Then if you have it add a layer of clean cloth.
6. Then add a layer of rinsed, washed gravel.
7. Then cover the gravel with cheese cloth, coffee filter, or clean towel.

Website (Reference):
https://www.itsoverflowing.com/diy-water-filter/

You may want to consider buying or making a Portable Distillation System or consider the portable - Solar Water Heater Distiller - The Sun Kettle.

If you need large volumes, you may want to consider using clean buckets or other clean containers.

Solar Pasteurization in lieu of boiling option: Consider making a Solar Water Pasteurization System (pdf) or buying a Solar Oven. Another interesting Product is the Solar Clean Water Solutions AquaPak System . 

Common devices for monitoring the water temperature during solar pasteurization is either beeswax, which melts at 62°C, or soya bean fat, which melts at 69°C” – when these waxes melt this when you start the timing for sanitization.

Make Shift Water Filter Option DIY:

Recovery for Water Well Owners (With Power or backup Generators)

If your area has been flooded and you use private water wells, you must take some action to ensure that your water well is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. When water wells become inundated or a region floods, it is possible that the contaminated water may enter the water well directly via the well cap or indirectly through natural macropores (i.e., spaces between the rock or particles of sand and gravel, in the unconsolidated material or bedrock.

OUR suggestions are as follows:

1. Do not panic !
   
   
2. If you are not handy, we recommend that you contact a licensed professional well driller or reach out for a local friend that is handy or work with your neighbor, because they also may need some help.
   
   
3. If you are handy and have power, we recommend that you inspect the area around the well and remove the well cap and shock disinfect the well.
   
   
4. We would recommend the well be purged to waste – do not purge the water into the septic system or back directly into the well initially.  When the well water appears clear, recirculate the water back into the well to wash down the sides of the casing. Please make sure to by-pass any water treatment devices and water filters and do not run this water through your main plumbing of the home.
   
   
5. We then recommend that the well and main line be shock disinfected twice. This is our website that contains information on how to shock disinfect a well and a link to a video that reviews the process and to the preferred chemical to use (Link to Amazon). Please note- Some local well drillers has this chemical available. If you cannot get this chemical, it is ok in an emergency to use household bleach that does NOT contain scents, fragrances, or other additives.
   
   
6. After the well has been shock disinfected and purged one to waste, the second shock disinfection should be to the well and the distribution system of the home. When you conduct this disinfection, it is critical that you remove all aeration devices, by-pass all filters, and remove any hoses or connections that have inline filters or screens, i.e., your washer hoses and in the future you may want to consider raising the casing, adding a sanitary well cap, and adding a Well Seal.
   
   
7. When you believe you have shock disinfected the well properly, we recommend the following:
   
   
1. We strongly recommend that you get your drinking water tested or checked to see if the water is contaminated using a DIY Informational Water Testing Kit or getting the water sample to a laboratory.  This is why we recommend that your go-bag includes some DIY water testing kits and supplies, portable water filter, emergency tablets, matches,  pouched drinking water, and some clean containers.
   
   
2. If you CANNOT get or conduct any water testing, we would recommend that you consider using bottled water for consumption and/or at a minimum boiling your drinking water at a full rolling boil for 5 minutes. If possible, try to avoid using surface water sources (lakes, streams, springs) if they were directly impacted by the event – they are likely contaminated with many hazards.
   
   
3. Preparing the Water - If the well water or surface water appears cloudy or discolored, we would recommend that you allow the water to settle for as long as possible and then filter it through a potable water filter, clean cloth, paper towel, or even coffee filter into another container. After additional settling, you can decant or remove the clear water and the prepare the water to be boiled, disinfect with chlorine solution, or if you have emergency water tablets to disinfect the water use them to disinfect the water. (Note: Boiling water and emergency water tablets will inactivate the waterborne pathogens, but boiling will not remove the potential hazards related to dissolved inorganic or organic substances).   
   
   
4. Bleach – 5% solution of bleach: Add 20 drops or less than 1/2 of a teaspoon of bleach to every 5 gallons of water and double this does if the water still appears discolored. (Source)
   
   
5. Since you may not have emergency water tablets or a portable water filtration system, it is likely you will need to Boil the Water. When boiling the water, the general recommendation is to bring the water to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute if you at an elevation of less than 6500 feet and over 3 minutes for sites over 6500 feet, but we recommend you boil for at least 5 minutes.
   
   
6. Transfer the water to clean containers and allow the water to cool.  During the cooling process, you may want to shake or mix the water in the container to increase the dissolved gas content to improve taste. If you have some DIY water test kits check for general water quality of the cooled water.
   
   
7. Store the boiled water in clean, sanitized containers with tight covers

PS: Adding too much disinfection chemical to the well is not wise, this can cause the release of arsenic and other trace metals into the water.

City Water Customers

If you are a customer of a local water company or authority, it is possible that the normal water distribution system may not be functional and even if it is functional the water in the distribution system may have been contaminated. The first recommendation is to: Learn – What is the local water company or authority saying about the water. They may have issued a DO NOT Drink, Do NOT Use,  or a Boil Water Advisory these are three different animals. To learn more about each – go here.

If the Authority issued a DO NOT Drink or DO NOT USE, it is likely they are providing access to clean water somewhere in the community by handing out bottled water or a local water tanker so you can fill containers with clean water.

If they issued a Boil Water Advisory:

If your local health officials, water company, water provider, or Authority issues a boil water advisory, you should take the immediate action of not using your drinking water for consumption (DO NOT DRINK!).

The boil water advisory means that the water may or does contain a pathogen, i.e., a disease-causing agent. The primary actions would include establishing another temporary water source, such as bottled or bulk water, or boiling the water and letting it cool prior to use and consumption. (Please Note: I did not say filter the water or microwave the water and I did not say drink hot water. I said BOIL - see below!)

Boil water advisories the details:

1. Use bottled water, bulk drinking water, or boiled water that has cooled for drinking, and for preparation and cooking food, feeding the pets, brushing your teeth, and making baby formula.
   
   
2. If bottled water is not available, the general recommendation is to bring the  water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute for elevations below 6,500 feet and if you live at an elevation of over 6,500 feet a 3 minute rolling boil is needed, but we recommend a 5 minute rolling boil. After boiling, allow the water to cool before use and while it is cooling give it a good shake to try and “re-aerate” the water - it will taste better.
   
   
3. If a boil water advisory is issued, you CAN NOT  just filter your - this is NOT adequate. The verb in the sentence is “BOIL” not filter, but it is ok to boil and then after the water has cooled - filter (YES). There are a number of high quality emergency water filtration systems, but the key is that they need to heat the water to a BOIL and hold it there by letting the water reach a full rolling boil for the correct amount of time per elevation. (Please Note:  We do not object to using a UV filter,  portable Ozone generation system, Portable Water Filter or an Off-the-Grid Reverse Osmosis System to polish/purify water, but in emergencies we do recommend boiling the water first.)
   
   
4. Do not use ICE that comes directly from your automatic ice maker even if the unit has a filter or inline UV unit, the water must be boiled and then cooled and then you can make ice.
   
   
5. For infants, breastfeeding is the better choice than formula. If you are using formula feeding your child, provide ready-to-use formula, if possible, or use bottled water to make formula. If you must use tap water, the water must be boiled (not Microwaved or heated) and cooled. The boiled water should be used within 72 hours (Source: Allinahealth.org)
   
   
6. Use a water screening test on your temporary water source and your water source when it comes off the boil water advisory and then follow-up with conducting a Level 3 informational screening test via a certified laboratory to ensure the lines between the water source and your home/business are free of contaminants.

Other Recent Water-Related Health Concerns

Worms in Well Water

Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water

The Keystone Clean Water Team is a (501 c3) that focuses on Pennsylvania, but helps private well owners and small water systems worldwide.

For more information about us, please visit our portal.  We have a new educational booklet on drinking water quality "Our Drinking Water".    

More Questions -visit us at KnowYourH20.com

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