Florida’s hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30 and is a period where hurricanes are more likely to form in the Atlantic Ocean. As June begins, we must remind ourselves how to prepare for a hurricane. The most essential need in natural disasters is clean water. An emergency water supply is important if a hurricane impacts your home’s water supply.
Household Hurricane Plan:
Water should be a significant part of any hurricane plan for your household. Households should have enough water to last at least three days. Make sure to factor in your pets when calculating your home’s water consumption.
• Drinking Water: Tap water can be stored in clean food-grade containers with lids, such as jars, Tupperware and jugs. This water can be used for drinking, cooking, brushing your teeth and washing dishes. Store at least 1 gallon of water per day for each person and pet in your household.
• Other Water Uses: There are other ways a household uses water beyond drinking water. You will also need water for flushing toilets, bathing and other ways that does not involve food preparation or ingestion. A bathtub is one way to store this water, as well as a large storage bin or a clean trash can. When planning, make sure the drain doesn’t leak in your bathtub.
Boil Water Advisories:
In a hurricane, there are different types of boil water advisories that may be issued. Boil water advisories are alerts to inform consumers their water is not safe to drink from the tap. If your drinking water comes from Toho Water Authority and a “boil water order” has not been issued, you can assume that it is safe to drink.
• Precautionary Boil Water Advisory: This means water service has been restored and the water is being tested to ensure it is safe to drink. As a precaution, you are advised to boil this water for around five minutes before consumption.
• Mandatory Boil Water Notice: This is a step more serious than the previous with water testing results revealing that the water is unsafe to drink. With a Mandatory Boil Water Notice, you must boil the water for around five minutes before consumption.
• Don’t Drink the Water Notice: This is the most extreme notice and indicates water testing reveals the water is not safe to drink. In this circumstance, even boiling the water will not make it safe and bottled water should be consumed instead.
If you cannot boil water, add eight drops of unscented household liquid bleach per gallon of water, stir well and let stand 30 minutes before use. Alternatively, purification tablets can be bought from sporting goods stores and pharmacies which can be used.
Toho Water Authority informs the public of any of these notices and when they are lifted through the “Our Alerts” section at www.tohowater.com, local media outlets and a door hanger at the customer’s address.
Customers should be aware that, if water pressure is lost, service will not be restored until conditions are deemed safe.
