Have you ever asked yourself “How to survive a drought?” Prepping for a drought is what will keep you ahead of the upcoming dry years.
Water is the fastest disappearing resource in a survival situation. The severe weather changes we are living today shows the importance of this subject.
There are four main types of drought:
Meteorological: Caused by prolonged low precipitation in an area.
Agricultural: Caused by a lack of soil moisture.
Hydrological: Caused by a lower water level in the water sources like the lakes and rivers.
Socioeconomic: Caused by a tap water shortage.
Learning how to survive a drought require that you change your water habits. Start taking actions to face the record-breaking heat waves we are experiencing nowadays.
These tips will provide water-safety for you and your family and :
How to survive a drought:
Before a Drought
Include water conservation to your prepping routine. Learn how to save water in every daily task that involves its use. There are 2 areas you are going to focus on for this part:
Indoor water conservation before a drought:
- Always save your drain water for other uses
- Check your plumbings for leaks and dripping faucets
- Turn your water-softening system off while on vacation
- Put a 1-gallon plastic jug into your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used at each flush
- use a low-flow showerhead
- replace your kitchen sink disposal with a compost pile
- Start storing loads of water
- Be ready to relocate if your hometown becomes a death zone
Outdoor water conservation before a drought:
- Build a deep well and use a solar-powered generator as fuel can become rare
- Have at least one big water tank
- Grow plants that don’t need much water
- Use water efficient irrigation devices like drippers
- Retain moisture in the soil using mulch
- Construct a rainwater recuperation system
- Avoid over fertilizing your yard, as it increases the water needs of your plantations
- Don’t install water consuming devices like fountains and other ornamental structures
During a Drought
During a drought, you have to stay tuned to the local information and weather forecasts. You will know how to change your water consumption depending on the next day’s previsions from The U.S. Drought Monitor. This period will require from your extreme vigilance, an analytic state of mind, and a lot of patience. Here is what you should be doing:
Indoor water conservation during a drought:
- Use what you learned during your drought prepping
- Use an inventory and monitor your water consumption
- Take care of your family’s health. Drought can induce exhaustion, heat cramps and other health disorders
- Avoid flushing the toilet if not necessary
- Take showers instead of baths
- Place buckets in your shower to collect excess water
- Hand wash your dishes using small water containers
- Defrost food overnight rather than using hot water
Outdoor water conservation during a drought:
- Check your lawn soil moisture levels before deciding if it needs watering.
- Water your plants early in the morning or at night to minimize any evaporation
- Letting your lawn die can be saddening but life-saving in extreme droughts
- Turn on the clothes washer only when it’s full
- Make sure no one in your community is wasting water, guide them to help save more water on the area
After a drought
After this hell period, you want to manage your priorities. Get back on track as soon as possible, don’t prolonge any unnecessary suffering. Consider these actions:
- If you are an animal or a plant producer that has been deeply impacted by the situation, consider a 1-year progressive restocking to meet your production objectives again.
- Recover your plantations by restoring the hydrological conditions of your yard
- Asses the performance of your response to the drought to drive lessons and conclusions
A prolonged drought can be a source of power shortage, diseases, wars, and famines. To have a grasp of the dramatic effects that a drought can have on a population, look at these sad historical events:
Sudan’s Darfur conflict was caused by decades of drought
India has 3.25 million deaths in the 1900s drought
Russia has 5 million people died of starvation after the 1921-1922 drought
Northwest China has 3 million deaths due to famine resulting from drought
Will you put your family’s life between the hands of the government and FEMA? Or you will rather take the necessary actions to secure your water consumption and learn how to survive during a drought?
Chris Burns, a fellow survivalist, used a compelling military technology to collect water on a daily basis. Click on the image below to learn his story: