One of the likely consequences of natural disasters of almost any kind can include disruption of water services. While these utilities might seem like a service that just brings water into your home, municipal water treatment plants also remove the presence of bacteria from the water supply before it can enter your digestive system.

While water can be boiled, there are no guarantees that you’ll be able to use gas or electricity during a natural disaster scenario. That’s where having methods of emergency water purification come into play.

Why Keep Emergency Water Purification Systems for Disaster Relief?

You never think you’ll need an emergency water purification system. 

That is, until disaster strikes. By the time the realization hits, it’s often too late and you’re having to rely on bottled water that expired two years ago. However, when you realize you need one ahead of an emergency, make sure it can keep you safe and protect you from waterborne diseases in almost any disaster scenario.

Disasters warranting emergency water purification measures can vary widely and include some scenarios you may never expect to impact your access to potable water. Explore some of the most common natural disasters and how emergency water purification systems can be essential in each of them.

Types of Natural Disasters

Flooding

Flooding of all kinds can impact the safety of drinking water, whether you’re using a private or community well in rural areas or if a water treatment plant gets contaminated with untreated river water.

One classic disaster relief water purification solution that many communities rely on is boil orders, which kills any bacteria or contaminants that may have been introduced to the water supply during a flood. 

However, what if the floods are compounded with another disaster? It’s a lot harder to boil water when the power is out. Aquatabs can disinfect water in roughly the same amount of time as many stoves, without depending on resources that may not be available during a flood.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes and tropical storms frequently bring other issues with them when they make landfall—namely, storm surge and flooding. Similarly to other flooding events, storm surges can cause seawater to contaminate the water supply in local communities, making something as simple as brushing one’s teeth a risk for contracting waterborne illnesses like cholera and E. coli.

Sometimes, even bottled water supplies can run short before the government can activate local National Guard units.

In situations like these, it’s essential to have emergency water purification methods while waiting for service to be restored or for emergency services to bring a potable supply. A 30-count pack of Aquatabs can purify up to six quarts of water, and the quantities we offer only increase from there—making it easier to function with some level of normality before help arrives.

Wildfires

When wildfires are burning out of control, they will frequently engulf structures and carry contaminants to lakes and rivers, including ash, metal and insulation from structures, and other contaminants. Even after the fire starts to become more contained, severe smoke and ash can enter the water supply, causing problems even for neighbors who aren’t in the evacuation zone.

Furthermore, firefighters combating the wildfire will frequently need to tap into local hydrant and water lines to quench the flames, leading pipes in unaffected homes and buildings to lose water pressure.

During the cleanup process, Aquatabs can help you and your family ensure you have safe drinking water that hasn’t been contaminated with wildfire debris, preventing serious illness from causing a second disaster.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are famous for their ability to level an entire city block within a matter of minutes, especially if it’s an EF3 storm or higher. 

There is a chance that a tornado could destroy your house or local infrastructure, leaving you without access to clean water for an indeterminate period. Aquatabs is a helpful disaster relief water purification system to have as an option while crews help with the recovery process. All it takes is 10 minutes of stirring and 30 minutes of letting the purified water settle, and you’ll have up to 64 ounces of water that is safe for human consumption.

Blizzards

This may seem like an issue only for residents in the northern half of the United States. However, as anyone in Texas during February 2021 can attest, blizzards and winter storms can be especially disastrous for communities that aren’t built to withstand them.

During that fatal storm, millions of power outages were reported. Furthermore, pipes in people’s homes and along water lines broke, leaving residents across the state without access to clean water as treatment plants were forced offline.

As climate change continues to destabilize weather patterns, it is not safe to assume the winter storm in Texas was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Other parts of the South have been devastated in similar ways, and have been left with similarly dire problems. 

When you’re without water or electricity in a blizzard situation, Aquatabs can be used to purify tap water or snow in 30 minutes, making it safe to drink without boiling.

Earthquakes

According to seismologists, there is a 37 percent chance that at least one 7.5+ magnitude earthquake will strike Southern California within the next 30 years.

However, Southern California isn’t the only area at risk. There is also a 37 percent chance that a 7.1+ magnitude earthquake will occur in the Cascadia Subduction Zone within the next 50 years. Scientists also predict that this megathrust earthquake will affect the entire Pacific Northwest.

Regardless of where along the Pacific coast these events might take place, it’s all but a given that the “Big One” will destroy water lines up and down the coast, making drinking water unreliable at best and a breeding ground for disease at worst.

Other parts of the U.S. aren’t immune to earthquakes, either—South Carolina has been home to rare but destructive earthquakes since the 19th century, and the New Madrid Seismic Zone has kept Midwesterners on edge for just as long. In short, it could happen anywhere.

While earthquake-ductile pipes do exist and are available for retrofitting in homes and buildings, not all municipalities or states can afford to replace every foot of fragile pipe in their water lines. Therefore, if a major earthquake strikes and splits the water mains like twigs, it’s important to have a way to purify the water until the mains are repaired, or potable water is shipped in.

In situations where your bottled water has run out, or you need to stay hygienic without exposing yourself to waterborne diseases, Aquatabs can help. Applying a single tab can treat up to 64 ounces of water, making it safe for use during the aftermath and rebuilding processes. 

Disaster Relief Water Purification Systems

Water Purification Tablets

Water purification tablets such as Aquatabs are small, convenient packages that kill microbial contaminants in 30 minutes. They’re portable, easy to use, and a great emergency water purification method.

Each Aquatabs emergency water purification tablet provides up to two quarts of safe drinking water, making them especially handy in the hours and days after disaster strikes. Since Aquatabs come in packages ranging from 30 to 10,000 units, you’ll be much better situated with clean water.

The 49 mg tablets are great for personal use, but we also offer tubs of 397 mg tablets. Each 397 mg tablet treats up to four gallons of water within 30 minutes, and one tub of 100 tablets can treat up to 400 gallons. They are perfect for ensuring you have a large amount of water to wait out a disaster scenario.

InLine

If you have direct access to a water line during an emergency situation, InLine is a great solution for ensuring you have access to clean drinking water while local treatment plants get back online.

To use this emergency water purification system, simply connect the system to your gravity-fed water storage tank or municipal water line. The system will start working immediately, purifying the water entering it with a tiny amount of chlorine to remove any bacteria.

InLine can reliably provide up to 237,000 gallons of potable water. The cartridge can also be replaced, making it easier to restock your preparedness necessities after the disaster has passed.

Order Aquatabs Emergency Water Purification Systems Today

Regardless of the type of product you choose or the disaster that’s threatening your water supply, Aquatabs can help your family stay safe, happy, and healthy. Each product is easy to use and quick to deploy, giving you peace of mind even during the most challenging of emergencies.

View our full range of disaster relief water purification products and order your emergency supplies today.