Ways to Get Purified Water When Disaster Strikes

7/20/2022 (Permalink)

If you are in the destructive path of a major storm and your property faces damage please call SERVPRO of Des Moines East and SW at 515-231-5511.

HEY DES MOINES!

It’s Jacob… again, and I wanted to talk about a close encounter with a hurricane while living in Charleston, SC. While growing up in South Carolina, my childhood taught me how fast nonperishables go off the shelf during the preparation phase of a major disaster. When my family went to the superstores, no water bottles/jugs were left, and I remember seeing my mom get really stressed.

Fortunately, the hurricane changed direction avoiding any land, which was like Christmas for my mom. If you haven’t created a disaster plan, we suggest you and your family create one. This plan should include a sheltered area stocked with nonperishables and drinking water. 

If you waited until the last second to buy nonperishable, there are some simple ways to purify unknown cleaning sources. If your home has electricity, you can boil the water source for one minute if you are below 6,500ft or for 3 minutes if you are above 6,500ft. This uses chlorine: chlorine dioxide, or Iodine, as the active ingredient which deactivates harmful pathogens.