So what should you do if you find yourself in an emergency situation without water?

• Once a disaster hits you have to act quick. The first thing you should do is find a way to store as much water as possible.  Fill your bathtubs, sinks, pots and other large storage containers with water.  The average bathtub holds somewhere around 50 gallons of water.  Check out the Waterbob Emergency Drinking Water Storage it’s a good system to have on hand.
• Immediately shut off your water main to prevent contamination to your hot water heater which is a great source of emergency water.

Where to find water during an emergency.

Your home has a number of place where you can find emergency water.

• Hot Water Heater Tank - Your hot water heater is a great source of emergency water.
• Canned Goods – Tuna, canned vegetables, beans and fruit all contain liquids that can be drained.
• If you live in a multilevel home, you can drain the water in your pipes by using gravity to your advantage. After the water lines into your house have been shut off, drain your pipes by using the lowest faucet in your house.
• Toilet Water – In an emergency you can boil the water from the flush tank (not the bowl) of your toilet.  I would only use this water as a last resort and only if I was sure it was free of chemicals.
• Rainwater - Use large pots and containers to catch and  store rainwater.

How to Generate your own Water

• If your really prepared you can actually generate your own water with the EcoloBlue 28 Atmospheric Water Generator while it’s not cheap and you will need a source of power,  it may be a great option for those that can afford such a device. The system generates up to 7 gallons of pure drinking water per day from the humidity in the air.

• Thirst
• Nausea
• Weakness
• Anxiety
• Increase in Pulse

Lose 10% of your fluid and you will experience:

• Headaches
• Pins & Needles feeling or tingling
• Loss of ability to walk and speak clearly

Lose 15% and you will experience:

• Impaired Vision
• Delirium

Lose more than 15% and chances are you will experience DEATH!

Watch for obvious signs of dehydration which include:

• Dark sunken eyes
• Dark & Smelly Urine
• Fatigue
• Dry Skin & or Lips

Related Articles:

• Emergency Water Storage

Several well-placed traps can actually catch more food than someone with a rifle is likely to shoot.
To get the most out of your trap or snare, you must:

• Be familiar with the type of game you want to catch.
• Be able to construct a proper trap.
• Leave no trace of your presence to the prey.

There is no one size fits all trap that you can set to catch your meal. You must first determine what species is in your area and set your traps for that type of animals. To find out what animals are in the area Look for the following:

• Runs and trails.
• Droppings.
• Chewed vegetation.
• Tracks
• Nesting sites.
• Feeding and watering areas.

You want to position your traps and snares where there are obvious signs that an animal will pass by your traps. Find out if it is a “run” or a “trail.” A trail is used by many types of animals and will be rather distinct. A run is smaller and less distinct and will only show signs of one type of animal.. Most wild animals have bedding areas, waterholes, and feeding areas with trails that lead from one to the other. To be successful you have to place your snares and traps in these areas. Even the best snare is not going to catch your meal if you haphazardly place it in the wrong area.

Some other things to consider when placing a snare:

• Mask your scent on and around the traps you set. (mud, smoke, or let the snare weather for a few days before use.)
• Feeding and watering areas.
• Build a funnel-shaped barrier from the sides of the trail going toward the trap

Check out How to make Snares and Traps

The best traps are usually very simple and you will increase your chances of catching a meal by using two or more of these methods. When using traps and snares, numbers are important. The more traps that you place, the better your chances of catching something become.

Here are a few of the most common types of traps and snares used in a survival situation.

A simple snare

The Simple Snare is made from a noose. The snare is placed over a trail or den hole and attached to a stake. This type of snare can also be placed on known game trail with small twigs to keep it in place.

Make sure that the noose is large enough to allow the animals head to pass through it. As the animal moves through the snare it should tighten around its neck. The more the animal struggles to get lose the tighter the snare will get. Snares usually do not kill the animal, so make sure you use wire that is strong enough to keep the animal in place until you return to the trap.

Baiting a trap

Baiting a trap or snare will help you improve your chances of catching something to eat! Unlike a normal snare, a baited snare can actually help you draw animals in towards the trap.  Make sure that the bait is something the animal is familiar with, but not something that is so widely available in the surrounding area.

The Figure-four dead fall

The Figure-four dead fall is gets it’s name from the number of shapes that make up this trap. The Figure-four uses a trigger to drop a heavy object onto an animal. The object should be heavy enough to kill the animal on impact.

Dead fall Pit

If you are stranded for a long period of time without a gun or other means of hunting, then a dead fall pit is a great way of catching larger animals. This dead fall pit works is a good way to catch larger animals but keep in mind that it will take a lot of time and energy to build.Make sure you have a good supply of food before building a trap like this. You will need your energy!

• First look for a game trail.
• Then start to dig your pit near the trail.
• When it is deep enough to hold the intended animal, place sharpened sticks in the bottom that point up.
• When your pit is finished put together a grill of long branches and then cover them with leaves and grass.
• Place them over the pit

A word of warning

These traps are for informational purposes only, they are extremely dangerous, and some of them can be lethal. In some parts of the country using them is also illegal. You should never use traps or snares unless you are in a true survival situation.

You can buy a couple pounds of cheap salt at Walmart for under $1 that can be stored for emergency situations.

Where to find salt in the wild:

• Sea Water – Sea water can be diluted with plenty of fresh water to get the salt your body needs. (never drink pure sea water, doing so can be dangerous to your kidneys.)
• Plants – In America you can get salt from the root of a hickory tree. You can boil the roots until it evaporates and salt crystals are left.
• Foods that naturally have salt – Seafood, carrots, beets, poultry and most animals.
• Salt Licks – A salt lick is a salt deposit that animals lick to get there intake of salt. You can also find them in farming areas set out for cattle.

Resources for Salt Tablets for your Survival Kit:

• Thermotabs Salt Supplement Buffered Tablets 100 ea

Learn how to find food and water in the jungle with survival expert Mayke Hawke.

The Series can be seen on the Discovery Channel, check your local listings for times. The Science of Survival series is a must see.