Haven’t you forgotten something? “Domestic water!!” 生活用水を忘れていませんか？
“I only think about emergency drinking water…”
“Yes, I need water for washing my hands, face, etc..“
“Toilet!!!“
“I completely forgot about domestic water… How do I stockpile domestic water?”
Drinking water is the highest priority in emergency situations. We usually prepare drinking water first, as the top priority on our emergency list, and rightfully so. But we tend to forget about domestic water in our home because a lack of domestic water will not kill us.
Remember, emergency situations shatter your daily life balance and cause a lot of stress. 普段通りの生活ができず、どんどんとストレスが。
If you know trouble is coming your way, and you think your water might get knocked out, like by a hurricane for example, I recommend filling your bathtub, in advance. If it’s a false alarm, just drain the tub and you’re no worse off. But if your running water stops flowing, you’ll be glad to have the extra supply.
Think about toilets without water. An inability to flush toilets makes people hesitant to drink a lot of water and eat a lot of food. Even though you have enough drinking water stocked up, you can’t drink it because you don’t want to go to the restroom; you can’t flush! In the evacuation center, in Japan, following the big 2024 Noto earthquake, many people are anxious about the toilet situation. People are afraid to drink water, because they don’t want to go to the restroom, and they end up dehydrated. Some people say they can not eat Cup O’ Noodles or instant ramen (both emergency staples) because the soup makes them have to go to the restroom. And they have to drink all the soup without any leftover trash because the garbage collection system is still down. If they eat the noodles, they have to drink all the soup; if they drink all the soup, they’ll need to pee; and they don’t want to pee, so they don’t eat the noodles. It’s a tough situation!
No matter what, you have to get water. なんであれ、水を確保！
You can flush a toilet simply by pouring enough water into it. Do you know how much water your toilet needs to flush your poo….? Older toilets need about 3.5 gallons (approximately 13 liters), newer ones need about 1.5 gallons (6 liters). Multiply that by the number of people in your family: it’s a lot!!
How about no showers? no laundry? …How long can you be patient? 生活用水のない生活にどのくらい我慢できますか？
I live in small apartment and I don’t have enough space to keep big containers of domestic water. I can barely stock emergency drinking water in my home. So, this is my plan for how we will survive if we have a complete water outage. If your city can set up water stations, you will be lucky. If not, you’ll have to pick up water from a nearby river, or lake, or the like. No matter what, you have to get water. 狭い家で沢山の生活用水を備蓄なんて難しい。ならば行くしかない！
How.
Use a clear plastic bag to get water. 大きめのビニール袋を持って
Plastic bags take up very little space, and you can use them for other purposes. I keep packs of clear plastic bags in the car, garage, and kitchen. I sometimes use the plastic bags for other reasons. They are very convenient, but I remember that they are for emergencies.
Make a double-layered bag and put it into your backpack. Leave the top open.
Use a collapsible bucket to scoop up water from a river or lake. 川で水を確保。折りたたみ式のバケツがあると便利です。
Then fill up your bag. The bag is double-layered, so there is no need to worry about water leaking out.
Using a suitcase or backpack makes it easy to carry. リュックに入れて背負ってしまう
Another option: use a water tank.
Foldable water tanks are another good option. I have this Water storage cube. This one is good for my limited space at home. I can not store big containers of emergency water, and I don’t want to live with big, obtrusive water tanks anyway. When I need it, then I can unfold the collapsible water tank and start using it. Hopefully, I won’t ever need it.
Here’s a little more info about my collapsible bucket. I have this Rogue Endeavor.
This one comes with a lid, which is nice. It also has a rigid rim, which helps keep the bucket open and accessible. If my bucket didn’t have a rigid rim, I could use double plastic bags instead.
One more nice feature is the integrated D-ring, which helps to easily empty the contents, to hang dry, or to tie-down. I’m not strong enough to dump the bucket without the D-ring.
One final note: I didn’t throw away my kids’ old scooter. 意外に便利な子供のスクーター
This old scooter is very compact and useful for carrying heavy things. When we need to get water, we will ride the scooter, wearing our empty backpack loaded with plastic bags and a collapsible water tank. After we get the water, we can use the scooter to help carry the heavy water back home.
See you next time!