Besides for the obvious, complete destruction by wind and floods, one of the things I have noticed with the upcoming bringer of death, aka: Irma, folks have been scrambling for supplies and water. Now, inevitably, pretty much, the entire state of Florida is at risk for devastating winds and flooding. For those not evacuating, in the end, what's going to happen? Well, store shelves will be bare and there will most likely be no power in the majority of places. We've already seen the fuel supplies run dry in many areas to the south. In anticipation of such a case, my family is well prepared for the potential of such a disaster. One of the main concerns for most people I think, is water. Food is a concern also, but you can go a good stretch without food, water on the other hand, not so much.
Now, due to our location, my family and I have made certain purchases simply because of where we live (ie: hurricane and tornado prone areas). One of my favorite things has been our Berky. A Berky is a portable, gravity fed, water filtration unit. This thing can filter the grossest water imaginable and you can drink it.
The filters will remove viruses, bacteria, parasites, sediment, cloudy particles, fluoride, and many types of arsenic (there is another set of white filters in the lower tank, and work in conjunction with the top filters). The best thing is these filters leave beneficial minerals naturally occurring in water.
We think of this unit as an investment, which justifies the cost, as, we have saved thousands of dollars using this equipment in lieu of purchasing bottled water. It's easy to clean, and maintain, not to mention, you can take it anywhere.
Our other go-to shelf item for storm preps is the water BOB. This is simply a giant, plastic sack that fits into any bathtub. Simply place it in your tub, fill it full of water, and seal it shut. It even comes with an extension piece for easy dispersal of water. Instant 100 gallons ready for use.
Rain Barrel
a barrel, spout, plastic connector, drill, and bit
place it on blocks, so is gravity fed
fill when needed to store 55 gallons of water.
I have 2 of these set up. One is in our outer yard to supply the animals with their water, the other is right next to my house, hopefully out of the wind when it comes. I also have a 100 gallon tub for the animals, it's supposed to be our duck pond, but they hate it, and don't use it. It will come in handy as well for them as an extra storage tank, if needed.
One of the things to consider as well, when storing water, is water safety. If ever concerned about the water, boiling is always an option, one minute is all it takes. The other option, for stored water, is to include a dose of household bleach in your stored water. The ratio is 1 tsp/10 gallons of water. I think just a little preparation goes a long way, you, and you alone, are your best advocate!
STAY SAFE FLORIDA!