First Power Out, now Water Emergency!

[bncinwv]

We survived the power outages with our camping skills (generators, etc.) and now are under a state of emergency and Federal Disaster Declaration because of a chemical spill upstream from the largest water plant in West Virginia. Once again, the habits of camping are assisting us. We always carry five gallon jugs of water when camping and were fortunate enough to have a couple that were still full at the house. A two hour search for water resulted in only finding 18 gallons of distilled water which is not that good for drinking, so using a little bit of thought, the drinking water reserve was split between the three jugs and topped off with the distilled water to provide 15 gallons of drinking water and the distilled water is being used for other purposes. The do not use order issued by the water company says not to use the water for anything other than flushing the toilet and fire emergencies. We are once again weathering the latest storm due to the habits that we have developed from camping!! Blessed again to be one of the fortunate ones in the area purely due to camping preparations! National Guard is making arrangements for water stations. Over 100,000 affected customers.
Bingo

[NCFischers]

I thought about you guys this morning when I saw it on the news. I had no doubt you would come up with a solution.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

WOW, that is intense Bingo.

Do agree tho, that some of our "camping" skills help us immensely during emergencies. If nothing else, we are aware that we can and will survive the inconvenience of water and power outages.

Good luck to all.

[DQDick]

Hope the water issue is corrected soon. You've got the knowledge and skills and are "thinking outside the box" sort of folks, but a lot of others in your area are in real trouble. Power outages were always a problem in our area of Kansas but when I was Mayor we set up several ways to deal with water issues just because folks take it for granted but really can't live without it coming freely out of the tap.

[grampachet]

Glad you did have the "solution" for your problem.

[HOOK]

We have you in our prayers. Thinking about you since I first heard yesterday. Running water doesn't take long to purify itself, so maybe it will pass quickly.

[bncinwv]

We are hopeful that it is a knee-jerk over-reaction on the part of the water company due to the litigious society we live in today. The company has hundreds of miles of pipelines that could possibly have to be flushed completely in addition to all the house and business lines feeding the taps. They are testing the water hourly and we have yet to hear results, so hopefully this will gently fade away as a result of actual science being applied versus reactionary zealots!
Bingo

[Ramblin Roadrunners]

Sorry for the water problems. Nothing to me is more scary that our water supply. If you need more water; hook your protable RV water filteration system up to someones well and pump all you want. Some of the parks might be on private well system. Just a thought.

[capn chris]

Good luck, Bingo. Heard also that FEMA help was being deployed?! Hope it gets resolved quickly for all of you. Best wishes.

[bncinwv]

quote:Originally posted by Ramblin Roadrunners

Sorry for the water problems. Nothing to me is more scary that our water supply. If you need more water; hook your protable RV water filteration system up to someones well and pump all you want. Some of the parks might be on private well system. Just a thought.

Should have mentioned we are house-bound (that common ailment that afflicts us Northerners during the winter months!)
Bingo

[Ramblin Roadrunners]

Too much snow down in the "holler?" LOL

[bncinwv]

quote:Originally posted by capn chris

Good luck, Bingo. Heard also that FEMA help was being deployed?! Hope it gets resolved quickly for all of you. Best wishes.

Yes on FEMA, nine county area declared Federal Disaster area which allows for FEMA to be so nice to visit us! They can visit all they want as long as they bring bottled water! LOL!

Bingo

[Ramblin Roadrunners]

Bingo, I sorry. I didn't realise how bad you guys were getting it. We tend to live in our own little world sometimes. I have some real good friends that live in Clinden, WV (near Charleston). I know they have generator back up for times like this to keep the well and freezers running. I knew the East was getting hammered; just didn't know how bad.

[bncinwv]

It is not weather related now. Last week we endured a couple of days of no power due to storms and wind. Now we have no water due to a chemical spill upstream of the intake valves for the largest water treatment facility in the state of West Virginia and the governor issued a state of emergency to not use the tap water for anything other than flushing or fire emergencies. Cannot fathom what will come next?? We are fortunate, and only hope others not so fortunate are being taken care of by friends, neighbors and family.
Bingo

[Jay Bird]

It is good to know you are the family are fairing pretty good through this ordeal. We hope the water issue gets better soon. We echo you concern for others especially the elderly in times like this.

[Ramblin Roadrunners]

Jay Bird : we are the elderly !!!!! LOL

[richfaa]

Experienced campers have many valuable survival skills.

[Jay Bird]

Ramblin Roadrunners: I would have never guessed. A little seasoned but elderly?????????? LOL

[Irlpguy]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Experienced campers have many valuable survival skills.

Depending on what one considers an "Experienced" camper to be, I see no evidence that today's campers are any more prepared to deal with power outages, no water or a polluted water supply and any number of other major issues any more than are the citizens who have heeded advise from agencies to put together an emergency kit.
Many who have never camped in their life, have life/survival skills that are far superior to most who happen to own a camper, trailer of 5th wheel.

I lived on a poor dirt farm growing up, when we quit the farm I was 15 years old, we did not have running water, we had only battery power to provide lighting and cooked and heated our home on wood and coal furnaces and stoves. Our first fridge was Kerosene powered. I did not know any better and did not feel deprived. But I sure learned how to thaw the water pump, how to start the little engine we had to charge our batteries, and if it would not start how to light the lanterns and start a fire in the cook stove.

We have become so dependent on electricity and running water, that when we lose one or both we are basically lost. At my home I am fortunate, I have a generator, I have a well that remains in service even though we have been on city water for the past 5 years. With my generator I can plug my furnace in, I can keep warm, with my generator I can run my well pump, I have water, and I can provide what lighting I need. None of this has anything to do with the fact that I have also camped all my life....

When camping and a catastrophic event has not occurred and roads are undamaged, we can pack our home up and move away from an area without power or water. That does not give us Camping skills that help us to deal with a situation that we cannot escape. What good is your generator if it is propane powered and in a storage yard miles away and is not available to power your S&B.

What today's campers must be good at is the Internet, WiFi, Patience in dealing with the dealers who sold us our home on wheels, dealing with the manufacturer and either having the financial assets to hire folks to fix all our little problems or the knowledge to troubleshoot and fix em ourselves. Those are the real survival skills learned as experienced campers.

The folks I feel sorry for are the very elderly and the poor when life throws us some of these curve balls.

[h2ojocky]

As soon as I heard the news I thought about Bingo. Glad you are doing well and pray that they get the problem fixed soon.