photo courtesy of www.waterbob.com
Atlantic hurricane season is here again, and while I don’t like to play “whose natural disaster is worse?” with my friends on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, I do have one thing good to say about hurricanes versus earthquakes and tornadoes: hurricanes come with a bit more warning. Rather than storing water for seven or more days on the off chance of an earthquake in the next decade, as we must in California, those who live in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and the Carolinas have other water storage options. For example, there’s the Water Bob.
The Water Bob is a large (well, giant, really) plastic bladder that fits in a standard bathtub. When the threat of water loss looms, just put the Water Bob into the tub, fill it with about 100 gallons of fresh water, then use it as needed. It holds enough to supply four people for over three weeks, at the emergency-supply recommended rate of one gallon per person per day.
The Water Bob is not ideal for earthquake-prone areas, because there must be time to fill the Bob before service stops, while earthquakes come without warning. And the Bob is meant for one-time use — there is no way to keep it sanitary once it has been filled with water and emptied. But for a coast-dweller hoping to ride out a hurricane in relative comfort, the Water Bob can be a compact and economical way to ensure an adequate water supply for a small family.
My thanks to Jeri Dansky for pointing me toward the Water Bob. On her blog she features organizing products for every occasion, and I mean every!
Note: as of this writing, the company that makes the Water Bob is out of stock, but more are expected to become available by mid-June.