The most important element in contemplating how to survive a drought is access to water.
Arguably, dealing with a drought can be more challenging than forest fires or floods. Still, it’s difficult to predict how long a water drought could last. A long absence of rainfall results in water shortage.
Storing large amounts of water requires a lot of space. Some preppers build storage tanks to store water. But not everyone can do that. For those who can’t, you can buy emergency water storage tanks.
And while building storage tanks is a commendable course of action, it is a short-term plan. If you store water for 3 months, what do you do if the drought lasts for many more months or even a year?
The most crucial action to take after you hear the drought forecasting is to start saving as much water as you can. This will allow you to have sufficient drinking water. Therefore, being prepared in advance is crucial when the water supply forecast is dismal.
While extreme drought can last for a long time, the more water you have, the more you’ll be able to deal with the water shortage emergency and the better you’ll be able to adapt.
With all that in mind, preparing and planning for how to survive a drought involves water conversation. So, …
8 tips to conserve water
1. Measure and track your water use daily. In most cases, you’ll be able to find ways to conserve water.
2. Check your home for leaks and fix any dripping taps.
3. Depending on the severity of the drought, you may need to stop using water for all activities except the absolute necessities. Watering the plants, washing the car, etc. are all unnecessary. You need water to cook, drink and wash.
4. Avoid frequent showers and baths during the drought. And when you do have them, make sure you use a wet towel to wipe yourself down. You can shower once every 2 or 3 days. Or you can buy Coleman Solar Shower.
5. Place a bucket near you while showering. The water that splashes into the pail can be used to wash your clothes, flush the toilet, etc.
6. Save the water that you use to wash your vegetables for cooking. Use it to water your plants.
7. Place some buckets outside or on the roof. By doing this, if there is sudden light rain, you’re ready to catch some much-needed water.
8. Keep your swimming covered if you have one. This helps to prevent evaporation. The water in the pool can be purified and used for drinking.
Staying healthy as you prepare and plan to survive a drought
• Store water purification tablets, water filtration devices such as the LifeStraw, etc. in your house—always, especially if you in a drought-prone area. If you can find a lake or a well with some water in it during a drought, you could still drink the water with the filtration devices.
• Use hand sanitizers to keep your hands and common areas clean.
• Keep your house well-ventilated. During a drought, the incidences of allergies, breathing problems, etc. rises so you should make sure your house is airy. It’s best that people with allergies wear face masks to prevent discomfort and making a bad situation worse.
• Be cautious with eating seafood. The quality of water in lakes, rivers, etc. becomes questionable during a drought. Because of this, the seafood caught in these places may not be the best food choices for you. So perhaps it’s best to avoid eating them.
These situations can be unpredictable and depressing. Keep your spirits up and with common sense, you’ll get through them. Dealing with weather catastrophes takes physical as well as emotional toll on the victims. The best you can do is prepare for the worst while hope for the best.
Still, you can always pick up roots and move to an area that’s not prone to droughts, if you can afford it.
Serious preppers should be doing their best to establish sound financial resources to give themselves the freedom to make such moves during extreme weather forecasts. With sufficient funds, anything is possible.