- http://globalnews.ca/news/1358331/hot-weather-but-water-pipes-still-frozen-in-winnipeg/
- http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/water-crisis/
Videos
Other links
- http://www.ready.gov/water
- http://www.manitobapreppersnetwork.com/2011/03/apartment-survival-water.html
The Story: In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada- Water pipes froze due to extreme cold temperatures this past winter. Today, May 28th, pipes are still frozen. It has been about 11 weeks since the initial freeze and now the city is saying that the pipes won't be completely thawed until at least the end of June. Despite warmer temperatures the pipes remain frozen. These frozen pipes have left over a thousand businesses and homes without water. This isn't just a small town that is affected either...this is a major city!
Water Usage: As I went about my morning I was thinking about the above scenario and paying attention to the number of times I used my water in the morning alone. Water is vital to our daily living. The frozen pipes means that the people living in Winnipeg have been without water for use in:
- flushing toilets
- taking showers/baths
- cooking
- drinking
- washing hands (and as a mother with multiple kids still in diapers I wash my hands a lot more than some).
- cleaning: including-mopping, dishes, laundry, etc.
- pets
- watering of plants/gardens
As has been stated, homes and businesses are affected by this. Businesses and services that would've been affected include restaurants, hospitals, churches, etc.
I repeat- 11 weeks!
Back in the day I worked at a fast food restaurant and can tell you that daily operations are impossible without water- We used it in cooking, cleaning up after food preps, washing dishes and equipment, cleaning the store, washrooms, washing hands (constantly), etc. We actually had a water main break down the street from us once and were forced to close the store due to them shutting off the water to repair the break.
Frozen pipes is one disaster that could affect one's water supply but it certainly isn't the only event---Any natural disaster can affect it, anything that may affect the power, we had a pipe burst in our house once and had to go the day without water because the water had to be turned off in order to fix it...thank goodness it was only for 1 day.
Preps you can make now: (water related)
- Drinking water: One gallon of water per person/per day, for drinking and sanitation. Bear in mind that children, pregnant/nursing mothers, or someone who is sick requires more than that.
- Hand Sanitizer
- Rain Barrel for catching water
- Water stored for flushing toilets- we keep milk jugs filled with water in each of our bathrooms- bear in mind that it takes a fair bit of water just to flush the toilet. (**Milk jugs are good for water that you don't plan on drinking, don't use milk jugs for your drinking water storage).
- Rotate out your storage.
- You could store other fluids for drinking such as juice, although water is the best.
- Bear in mind that some of your food preps may require water ie: food that needs to be rehydrated or powdered soups.
- If you have time before a storm hits or if you know the water supply will be cut off you could fill your bathtub and use the water from it.
- In winter you could collect snow or ice and melt it...but use precautions- be careful about where you collect it from and make sure to boil it to kill off micro-organisms.
- Make sure to conserve water during emergencies.