The Urban prepper's water Supply: How Much is Really Enough WHEN THE SHTF?

In the case of urban prepping, there are few tenants spoken of more often than food and water. Afterall, the 'Rules of Three' dominate much of this space. We know we need food, but we've got it. Shelter, no problem. Water, however, is just one of those areas that gets looked at topically in a survival plan, especially in an urban environment. But in the event of emergency - where there's a disruption to the water supply - how much is really enough? I mean, truly. Thankfully we're not the only ones asking that question.

A DISASTER DOESN'T LIVE ON PAPER

In a 2015 paper titled 'A Systemic Review of the Amount of Water per Person per Day Needed to Prevent Morbidity and Mortality in (Post-) Disaster Settings', our authors hoped to tease out some absolutes. But in addition to age, gender, weight, food intake, environment, and activity, there's just no way to solidify the conditions of a disaster. Much like the above-noted paper, there's still plenty of great data to consider, even if it's mostly theoretical. While different organizations have outlined a need for 7 to 30 litres per day per person (l/p/d), this often includes drinking water and domestic use. In addition to FEMA and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), most studies reference 1.8 to 7.0 l/p/d for intake, with an additional 5 to 20 l/p/d for domestic use. While a person could likely stagnate at 1.8 l/p/d, strenuous activity, hot weather, and illness (see: diarrhea) would tear up that baseline in an instant. There are certainly exceptions to the rule (see: Guiness World Record holder Andeas Mihavecz), but I wouldn't recommend leaning on miracles when planning.

MIND THE GAP

According to the UNHCR, the average European utilizes 128 l/p/d, while in the U.S., this number swells to nearly 300 l/p/d. This of course considers both drinking and domestic use - but what a number. In a practical application, the UN Refugee Agency has aimed to provide 20 l/p/d, however, only 43% of their camps have been able to achieve this number. Though I'd imagine they've dipped much lower during their tenure, the UN has a documented bottom-end of 11 l/p/d for both drinking and domestic use. Not a lot when you consider what the developed average is. Outside of extended backcountry time and service, few of us have had the experience of such a reduction. We run the taps open, we drink when we want to, and for most, there are no real restrictions. So, what happens when you cut the taps off early?

GETTING DOWN TO BRASS TACKS

To play around with my baseline, I added a 6.5-mile walk to my daily activities (removing my workouts) and found myself feeling the effects of dehydration (headaches, lack of concentration, fatigue, nausea) with anything less than 1.5 litres consumed each day. Over the three days, I had also peeled back on the consumption of fruit and vegetables significantly, as much of our water actually comes from food. As for domestic use, I only cooked with water that would be absorbed fully (e.g. oatmeal and instant rice) and cleaned up under camp rules. Bumping up my consumption to 2 l/p/d, and another 2 l/p/d for domestic use, I'm looking at a scarce total of 4 l/p/d - and that's not going to leave a ton of room for error or excess. At 4 litres per day, the math on a 30-day supply would put you at 120 litres - or roughly 32 gallons. That's no joke for storage, let alone procurement beyond your stores. Now imagine that 4 litres becomes 15 to 20 litres for a family during a SHTF scenario? That's daily.

MAKING SENSE OF IT ALL

With a world of numbers swirling around out there, there are no absolutes when it comes to how much water you really need. Truth is, there's just too much nuance. Could you survive on 2 or 3 litres a day? I'm sure you could, but it wouldn't leave a whole lot of room for the activity and affliction that comes along with disaster. But in playing around with your own baseline, you can get a pretty good idea of where your needs fall on the scale and adjust from there. I will be touching on water procurement in an urban setting shortly, but don't let that stop you from getting a head start. Store what you can and start planning for what comes after.

HOW DO YOU CALCULATE HOW MUCH WATER YOU'LL NEED FOR your URBAN prepping PLAN?

Water, Bugging InJHMay 31, 2024Urban Preparedness, Urban Prepping, Urban survival, Water Filtration, Prepping, Prepping Blog, Prepper Blog, Apartment Prepping, SHTF, City Prepping, SHTF Blog, TEOTWAWKI, Urban Preparedness Blog, Urban Prepping Blog, Urban SurvivalComment

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The Nail That Sticks Out Gets Hammered

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