The importance of water

If you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to make efforts to survive, water should be your top priority. Your body needs water to regulate its temperature, protect your organs, eliminate toxins and waste produced by the organs, drive the nervous impulses, and of course, transport oxygen, nutrients and other essential elements of your body.

1-5% water loss 6-10% water loss 11-12% water loss
Thirst Dizziness Rigid joints
Discomfort Dry mouth Deafness
Darker urine Bluish limbs and tips Defective vision
Appetite loss Inarticulate pronunciation Wrinkled skin
Impatience Swollen tongue Lack of skin sensibility
Drowsiness Blurry vision Inability to swallow
Doze Tingling limbs Delirium
Nausea Inability to walk Unconsciousness
Headache Breathing difficulties Death
Water image

So, as you see, it doesn’t take much water loss to have serious health issues. If you are planning an outdoors adventure: remember to pack enough water!

Diseases transmitted by water

Although, as you saw, water is extremely important, it is recommendable to treat water right (see more in #article about treating water). Otherwise, there is a variety of sicknesses you could catch due to the intake of water contaminated by feces or urine.

Sickness Symptoms
Salmonella Nausea, diarrhea, headache, stomach cramps, fever, vomit and blood in the feces
Cholera Vomits, circulatory problems, cold and wet skin, muscle cramps, fast dehydration, increase of heart rate
Infectious hepatitis Nausea, appetite loss, fever, sore muscles, dark urine, jaundice, and abdominal pain
E-coli Diarrhea and vomits. Can cause death in vulnerable groups (children and old people)
picture of the ecoli virus

There are some examples of the many viruses, bacteria and protozoa that could be living in the water you might drink. That’s why, our advice is:

  • Make sure to treat the water beforehand
  • Ration water if you are not certain of how much you can get
  • Do not overdrink, it’s better to ration the water than to drink more than you need because your body might suffer from hyponatremia

Storing food at home

As you saw in the article about Emergency modules, many governments recommend for families to have stored food at home -along with some other items-, which could come in handy in case of unforeseen events. It’s always better to plan and design the space where the food will be stored beforehand. The place should be dark, dry and fresh to keep the food in the best possible conditions: like a garage or a basement.

Picture of canned food Picture of bottled water

Then, set up a box with all the utensils to cook the food: can opener, a cup, a pot, a frying pan, and cutlery. Also, store in this box a little butane stove with extra butane and items to start a fire.

It is recommendable to store bottles of water in a large plastic barrel or some other place that won’t occupy all the space in your storage area. Store as much water as you can. Add some purifying tablets, bleach or a portable water purifier.

Buy big bags of rice, dry beans, pasta, grain, and little sachets of dehydrated food and keep them safe from bugs and humidity, with metal containers with sealable lids. Also store cans of foods with the expiration date easy to read; every time you buy new ones rotate them so that they don’t go to waste. About 60% of the food you store should be carbs.

Store protein, like canned meat and fish, and protein bars. Complement with milk and eggs powder, as well as with dried fruit and dried pre-cooked meals. Also, remember that food is also important for the mood, so make sure to set aside some salt, sugar or sweetener, garlic powder, your favorite spices, and oil.

You can also add canned pre-cooked meals, easily found online and on supermarkets: they are a little bit more expensive than basic food, but they are simple, tasty, and an all-in-one solution. They usually last for years.