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In virtually every emergency, emergency WATER is one of the most
urgent needs.
In the Southern California region it will be critical:
- We now have over 10 million people in Los Angeles County
alone, and large quakes will affect more than one County in this urbanized region of about 24 million.
- Every major water line crosses the San Andreas fault.
- In fact, the water lifelines are expected to be offset during a large quake by at least
twenty (and up to forty) feet, per noted seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones of the USGS.
- We can have temperatures over 100 degrees, and no air conditioning.
- Less than one in ten households have stored any water at all.
- Even quakes in the Bay area may result in substantial losses of water
availability in Southern California, over a prolonged period.
- It would take 25 Northridge-sized earthquakes to express the tremendous forces
involved with the next expected event on the San Andreas, and thus region residents will not be able to drive out of
the damaged areas to other places that have water.
The average adult loses about two and a half quarts of water a day just through breathing, excretion
and sweating (New York Times, 7/26/05 as well as other sources). If temperatures are extreme, it will be vitally important
to keep activity levels down to reduce chances of heat stress, heat exhaustion and/or dehydration. If dehydration and
stress combine to upset the body's mineral balance sufficiently, cardiac arrest can occur.
Every business, school, care facilitity, home and car should have at least one reliable source
of emergency water. In most cases, bottled water is not the best choice, although there are some exceptions.
Selected product examples are listed below.
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| Coast Guard Approved water pouches |
Coast Guard Approved (CGA) Water Pouches:
CGA water pouches are designed for evacuation packs, car kits,
and other applications where portability is important. They are the only portable water product on the market that
can reliably handle the heat of a car for five full years!
Using pre-rationed pouches also protects you from the problems associated with using bottled
water during an emergency, which can break, spill or become contaminated.
These pouches are very strong and have been successfully used in disaster and military operations
for decades.
They store more compactly than equivalent quantities of bottled water, are more reliably safe,
and when the cost is spread out over the 5-year shelf life, they are actually less expensive than buying and rotating
bottled water on the proper schedules.
Each pouch is 4.227 oz., with 64 pouches to the case. The case is roughly the size of a
larger shoe box, that might hold athletic shoes, for instance. This makes it ideal for storing water in apartments and
condos where storage space is at a premium.
Retail prices: 12-pack, $ 5.00; each case of 64 pouches, $15.00.
Bulk order prices for mulitple cases are less expensive.
Please contact us for a specific quotation.
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| Katadyn Combi Water Filter |
Katadyn Combi Water Filter:
At some point, you may be forced to try to purify suspect water. Traditional
methods using bleach, iodine, purification tablets, boiling and similar approaches are either no longer reliably effective,
or may be unsafe under certain circumstances or for specific people.
The Katadyn Combi Water Filter handles typical biological contaminants such as giardia using
a silver-impregnated ceramic filter. This is safer for many more people than iodine-based filters. The ceramic
portion of the filter can handle up to 13,000 gallons before it must be replaced.
We used to carry the Katadyn Pocket Filter which is slightly smaller and has this same capacity
as noted above. However, as the risks associated with terrorism and urban chemical spills and accidents seem to be rising,
we have decided to feature the Combi here. This is because the Combi also utilizes a carbon element which can remove
chemical toxins in addition to the living organizms removed by the ceramic portion. The capacity of the carbon element
is much less, at approximately 60 gallons, so additional replacement carbon elements are recommended.
You may special order the Katadyn Pocket as well as the Combi, or contact us for more exacting
specifications.
Retail price: Katadyn Combi, $145.00
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| Water purification tablets |
Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets
You may want to have water purifcation tablets on hand because they have traditionally taken care of giardia
and other common contaminants in suspect water. Be advised, however, that many such organisms have become more resistant,
and any chemical purifier tablet may not be completely effective against all possible biological contaminants. Also,
in order to increase effectiveness of the water treatment, Potable Aqua now instructs the user to use twice the dose previously
required. If you or someone in your family is pregnant or nursing, or allergic to iodine, please do not use this product,
as it is iodine-based. Nevertheless, this is still the standard industry workhorse for water purification, and is small
and easy to carry. Fifty tablets treats about six gallons of suspect water.
Retail price: $ 6.00 per bottle.
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| Katadyn Water Purification Tablets |
Katadyn MicroPur Water Purification Tablets:
These are more expensive than the Potable Aqua (above) but are more reliable against cryptosporidium.
However, treatment must be made in an opaque bottle or in the dark, and the wait time is a minimum of four hours.
Twenty tablets treat up to 20 liters.
Retail Price: $8.75 per package of 20 tablets.
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| Balance Your Fluids Without Excess Sugar! |
Oral ReHydration Salts:
A human being loses about 1.6 quarts of water per hour if they are sweating
heavily, usually because of a combination of physical activity and hot weather conditions. Dehydration
or the imbalances of minerals and electrolytes that can occur when this happens can be very dangerous.
Unfortunately, while many people are familiar with and use sports beverages for fluid balancing,
most of these off-the-shelf products are very high in either sugar and/or corn syrup. In fact, many similar products
packaged for industrial safety uses have either sugar and/or corn syrup as well. Therefore, a person with diabetes,
for instance, should probably not be using those products, and there are also some people who are particularly allergic to
corn products.
The oral rehydration salts offered here contain 0 grams of sugars. Therefore this
product is great for emergency kits, first aid kits, backpacking supplies, and/or for use in high-heat industrial
or construction environments where the risks associated with potential employee heat stress may be great.
There are two units per package. Each unit, when mixed with water, makes 1 liter.
Price: $7.25 each (2-unit package).
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Collapsible Cup:
Even though the Coast Guard Approved water pouches have a tear strip and can be poured directly into the
mouth, you may not have the greatest aim in an emergency if your hands are shaking. It's better to be able to see and
steadily pour the contents of a pouch into a cup on a level surface in order to reduce the chance of spillage.
Every ounce counts! This collapsible cup is unlike the old telescoping ones of the past, which not only broke easily,
but leaked. This is malleable and unbreakable, non-telescoping and won't leak. Simple pull the handle to pop it
open, and push it in to close it. Great for all kinds of beverages and soups, and also very handy to have in a purse
for those who take medicines daily.
Retail price:
$ 3.00
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| One of TWO drums in the system |
Water Drum SYSTEMS:
One of the biggest and most common mistakes
people make is underestimate the quantity of water they will need in a serious emergency. A household with four people
and two pets, for instance, should be storing at least 100 gallons of water, and perhaps more. This is a quantity far
less than a single person uses in a single day in non-emergency conditions.
It may sound like a lot, but if the emergency
happens on a hot, Santa Ana wind day, with no air-conditioning, you will actually directly drink far more than you do under
normal condtions. If you don't drink enough water, you may suffer heat exhaustion or heat stroke, and can be at risk
of death.
We recommend that every household that
has room for them, should have at least one water drum SYSTEM. Ultimately this is the least
expensive way to store adequate quantities of water, and is the method with the least number of hassles.
The SYSTEM consists of TWO
water drums, for a total of 110 gallons of emergency water. It also includes two vials of a 5-year water preserver,
which keeps the water potable for 5-year intervals. It also includes the siphon pump, universal
drum wrench, bung caps, and instructions.
You will normally obtain at least a 15-year life out of your
drum investment, if the drums are properly located. This not only increases the value of your investment, but it is
a low-hassle factor: you only have to rotate the drum water once at the end of the 5th year, and once at the end
of the 10th year.
The current system price is $230.00.00 per two-drum system, including
the two the 5-year preservers and the other components. A single drum with a 5- year preserver and the
other components is $130.00.
Organizational buyers should also check on bulk discounting.
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| FIve-Year Water Preserver |
Five-Year Water Preserver For Use in Water Drums
At the end of year five and end of year ten, water drums should be drained,
refilled and retreated with this product, which keeps water potable for 5-year intervals. So if you need renewal supplies,
this is the time and place to do it!
Retail price: $15.00
Ex-Stream Personal Water Filter:
This is an amazingly effective personal water bottle which filters out biological
contaminants. This is an especially great item for people traveling in foreign countries, as well as for disaster applications.
Retail price: $45.00 each.
Bulk pricing discounts start at 10 units or more.
PUR Water Filter:
The PUR is less expensive in terms of up-front costs than the Katadyn Combi. However, it
uses an iodine-based primary cartridge. Although iodine has been used for many years in filters and other water purification
applications, it should not be used by some people. You should not choose this filter, and you should avoid iodine-based
water treatment options, if you have a known iodine sensitivity, thyroid disease, or if you are expecting or nursing.
However, this filter is designed to handle viruses, bacteria and Giardia. It also
has a decent flow rate of 1.5 liters per minute, and will handle up to between 80 and 100 gallons on a single cartridge.
Therefore it offers a reasonable lower-cost alternative to the Katadyn Combi, to those who are able to use iodine as
the primary active treatment agent.
Special Closeout Price, while quantities last: $80.00.
Collapsible Water Jug
This 2.5 collapsible water jug has a great spout design which opens and
closes. The handle attachment is also a bit stronger than most of the traditional wire attachment types. It folds
almost flat for efficient storage.
The down side of collapsible water carriers is that it usually means you
want the capability of picking up water from some emergency relief shipment in the aftermath of a damaging disaster.
This is fine as a back-up plan, but keep in mind the days and days of wait until relief can penetrate a damaged area may be
so long that this approach should definitely NOT be your primary plan. Your first line of defense should be to have
plenty of CGA water pouches in vehicles, and either (or both) CGA water pouches and water drums at home, so that you have
a potable source of water available at all times.
If you want to use this carrier from the water in your drums or water heater,
you're now putting this item to its best use.
Retail price: $ 3.00
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