During 2008, floods destroyed many parts of the United States. People in the devastated areas were challenged with the loss of property and livelihood, and went without electricity and gas for weeks on end. Flooding can be especially hard on the supply of fresh water, and it may become next to impossible to get water to drink or cook with. There are four things that could be in unpurified water that anyone forced into a situation like this needs to think about: bacteria, viruses, parasites, and poisonous chemicals. During times like these you need to employ emergency water filters in order to clean up the water you use.

You probably already realize that drinking water containing these contaminants could be dangerous to your health. We’ve all seen pictures of people in third world countries drinking from polluted water sources and heard the horrible stories about the disease epidemics that happen because of it. The people just don’t understand what they’re causing to happen to themselves. Here in the U.S., though, we should all be cognitive of what we could be doing to our bodies if we drink contaminated water and know that if water doesn’t look clean, it needs to be cleaned up before we drink it.

The human body is largely composed of water, and that water must be replenished constantly. Thirst is nature’s way of reminding us we need to have a drink of water. However, if a disaster contaminates the drinking water, there should be some sort of emergency water purification plan ready to help get everyone through. Purification may be done by boiling the water, filtering it, adding chemicals, or some combination of all three.

Many people think that adding common household bleach to contaminated water will rid it of contaminants and make it safe to drink and cook with. To some extent, this is partially true, because the chlorine in the bleach destroys the microorganisms that can make us ill. Unfortunately, though, it can also kill the good bacteria that our bodies require in order to operate properly. Because of this, it is advised that iodine be used to chemically treat water. Iodine is a good portable water purification system to utilize for emergency water purification processes. Adding 3 drops to a quart of clear water or 6 drops to a quart of murky water will eradicate the bacteria and other contaminants making the water safe for human consumption.