The government uses many safeguards to insure that the water you drink is of a high sanitary quality. Naturally though, those safeguards are likely to fail during a large scale disaster. During those times of serious emergency, the water supply to your home will either be cut off or become undrinkable polluted. A device (or devices) to purify and store water is an extremely precious survival item and is highly recommended as something you should purchase or make now!

Water can be gathered and found in numerous ways but keep in mind that you’ll be competing against a city full of thirsty people! If your city isn’t located near adequate water sources… expect chaos! If you lack an adequate source of water you’ll have to keep an eye out for alternative sources.

Rainwater collected in clean, sanitary containers is usually safe for drinking. Although depending on the disaster this can be far from truth. If the air around your location is polluted you can naturally expect those contaminates to end up in your water. A large earthquake, nuclear explosion, tsunami, chemical warfare attack and most other disasters will affect the rain water so keep this in mind. A nuclear explosion will throw up radioactive contaminates into the clouds and the rain will turn deadly.

An urban environment naturally contains large amounts of water. Water can be found in the plumbing, toilets and hot water tanks. Water can also be contained in small seepages between walls and other structures. Most cities were originally built around sources of water, unfortunately when shit hits the fan and you’ve run out of fuel for your vehicle, transporting that water back to your shelter will be next to impossible. Always suspect the water you find to be dirty and in need of purification. It’s always better to be safe then sorry. No water can be presumed safe.

Almost every environment will have water present to some degree. If you’re living in a city with an inadequate source or water, I’d recommend building a water cistern. Build a rain water catchment system and figure out ways in which your environment can help you. You should also consider a solar still to clean and purify the water you find. Watch for where plant life seems to be growing more luxuriantly than elsewhere. Most cities will have a few lakes, ponds, swamps, springs, or streams and the water collected from these sources should always be purified.

Some people during a disaster have gone so far to as drink animal blood! Animal blood is not suitable for drinking as it may be diseased. Blood also requires plenty of energy to digest due its high nutrient content. Blood-borne pathogens can be found in mammal blood so it must also be cooked.

Some survivors have lived off their own urine for several weeks but keep in mind, drinking urine should be a last resort. Urine contains salt and other toxins which can be harmful when taken in large amounts. Fortunately a solar still can separate the toxins leaving you with clean drinkable water.