Prepare Your Home's Water Supply Before, During and After a Hurricane
Click here to view the document.Hurricane Preparedness
During and after a hurricane, the water supply to your home can become contaminated and unfit to drink. To ensure your household has a safe and adequate water supply after natural disasters take these precautions:
- Store enough drinking water for each family member and pet.
- Store in clean, noncorrosive, tightly covered containers.
- Store containers in a cool, dark location.
- Collect water in bathtubs for non-drinking uses.
As soon as landfall is imminent or evacuation notices are issued during a hurricane warning, you can further protect the water supply going into your home and minimize property damage by following the guidelines shown below:
Protect your hot water heater
- (1) Turn off your water at the meter.
- (2) For electrical water heaters, switch off the electrical circuit breakers.
- (3) If gas water heater, turn pilot light off and shut off gas supply.
How to turn off your water meter
- Your water can be shut off at either the cutoff valve or at the water meter. Everyone in your home should know where these are located.
- The valve (usually with a wheel-type handle) is normally under the water faucet outside, 18 inches below the ground and 2 feet from the house. It will usually be in line with your water meter located near the edge of your property line near the street. The valve can be operated to provide water, if available, for sanitary services only.
How to purify water
In the event the water becomes unsafe to drink due to pipes breaking, a ?Boil Water? notice may be issued after a storm. If this occurs, you'll want to have a safe and adequate drinking water supply in your home until service can be restored. To do this you'll need to purify the water by using one of several methods:
Boiling
Boil vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes and let cool. You can add a pinch of salt, or pour back and forth
between two containers to improve the taste.
Hypochlorite Bleach
- Liquid bleach from the home laundry or grocery store will work well.
- DO NOT use a bleach that has a fragrance or scenting agent, like a lemon scent.
- Read the label to find the percentage of chlorine available. It should be 5.25%. Then add 8 drops to a gallon of water and let stand at least 30 minutes. (1 teaspoon approx. 100 drops.)
- If no dropper is available, use 1/8 tsp. If the water has a strong chlorine smell after 30 minutes, pour back and forth between two clean jugs or containers.
Purification Tablets
Purchase from drug store, follow directions.
How much water will you need?
The Red Cross and S. C. Emergency Preparedness Department (SCEPD) recommend one gallon per day for each person and family pet.
How to store purified water
To keep drinking water safe from contamination, it should be stored in clean, noncorrosive, tightly covered containers. To increase shelf life of water, store containers in a cool, dark location. Water can be safely stored in this manner for up to six months.
CAUTION: Make sure children don?t mistake bottles containing hazardous substances with bottles used for drinking water.
After the storm
Listen to your radio or TV, or read your newspaper to find out if a "boil water" notice was issued.
If the water was contaminated during the storm, you will need to use your purified, stored water. (See the previous section.)
There are things you can do to help keep water and wastewater services flowing
smoothly:
- (1) Piles of limbs and other debris should be kept away from hydrants, water meters, manhole covers and other exposed utility lines. Our water, wastewater and meter reading crews will need free access to our lines and meters.
- (2) If you do not have electricity, minimize use of water. A power outage can cause raw wastewater to overflow in some areas. You can help:
Avoid excessive flushing of toilets.
Do not wash laundry.
Do not run dishwasher.
Do not run water continuously for bathing and washing dishes.
