There are many types of natural disasters that can affect various parts of the world. Some of the worst ones include hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. What if you were affected by one of these disasters? Would you have the clean drinking water available that your family is going to need? In any type of disaster, water fast becomes the most needed commodity, so it's important for you to plan for the possibility. Keep a good supply of clean drinking water in your home, and look for other sources you could use if the public water system would become out of commission. The list below will help you make a plan to provide for your water needs.

Putting Together a List of Sources of Clean Water

If you hear about an impending emergency, immediately take steps to stockpile as much clean drinking water as you can:

* Fill containers with ice water and place them in your refrigerator and freezer. You'll be able to melt the ice later in order to have the drinking water you need.

* Purchase a good supply of bottled water and ice.

* Use bleach to clean your bathtub, and then fill it with water.

* Fill any large, clean receptacles that you have with water.

Finding Water Sources that aren't so Obvious

Have you ever thought about other places in your home where you can find clean water? If not, now's the time to acquaint yourself with some of them, because someday they could make a big difference in your family's well-being.

* There is clean water in your toilet tank (not the water in the bowl!). If you've kept the tank clean and not added chemical cleansing agents to it, the water will be perfectly safe to drink.

* At any given time there is a quantity of water in your water pipes waiting be to run into your home. In an emergency situation you can drain this water out for use. Place a large container under the lowest-level faucet in your home. Go up and turn on the highest faucet which will release the air pressure within the pipes allowing the water to flow into your container. For homes with only one story, simply drain each faucet.

* You will be able to drain a large amount of water from your hot water heater. Shut off the power and allow the water to cool. Open the drain valve at the bottom of the tank and allow the water to drain into a large, clean container.

Since you might feel better if you sterilize some of the water you can retrieve from within the plumbing system in your home, you can always keep a supply of chemical purification tables with your emergency supplies for use if needed.

Outside Water Sources Which are Safe

It's possible that during an emergency situation you may not be able to use the water sources within your home at all. Therefore, you need to know where you can find clean water outside of your home. Some common sources that you can use include:

* Water that is still in your garden hose.

* Rain water which you've allowed to accumulate in a clean container or on a piece of plastic.

* Melted snow.

Once again, you should take care that the water you get from these sources hasn't been contaminated. If the water is questionable, you either need to do something to purify it or avoid it all together.

Guidelines for Careful Water Usage

Be careful when using water from outside water sources including streams, rivers, and lakes as well as other standing bodies of water. It may look clean, but you never know what kind of bacteria it might contain which could cause you to get very ill. In fact, there are contaminants in water that could even be fatal to you or a family member. If there's any question at all about the safety of the water, don't allow anyone to drink it until it's been purified.

It's important to know the tricks for finding clean drinking water in times of disaster. Your knowledge might end up being the difference between life and death. Some of the sources mentioned in this article, such as your toilet, may not sound particularly appetizing right now, but if you were ever parched with thirst and had no other safe water source available, you'd discover that yourself to be very glad you knew about them.