The Growing Water Crisis and How Families Can Prepare

Weather Report: Water Crises Now & In The Future, Beginning Preparations At The Family Level

Water Crisis Now & ‘Future: “Water crisis rocks L.A., Mexico City; who’s next? is the title of the Martin Sieff piece at upi.com this past 4/10/09. The article discusses the critical and diminishing resource of fresh water, it’s effects on 40 million people in and around the U.S. and how it’s likely to impact us in the future. Here are some key points:

• “Water crisis are rocking two of the world’s largest cities as Mexico City starts a 36 hour water cutoff and Los Angeles is in the midst of a water dearth.”
• “The problem, however, is far wider than two of the most populous cities in the Western Hemisphere. “… An unprecedented world population of 6.8 billion people (and adding a U.S. population number every four years or so -PH) … and the inescapable reality of global climate change are guaranteed to make the long term crisis worse.”
• The Mexico City cutoff effecting 5 million people was brought about by the need to “…fix a leaky supply system and to ease — somewhat — a supply problem that began when the lakes that once flooded the city were drained 409 years ago.”
• “In Los Angeles, the City Council unanimously turned back a rationing plan Wednesday that had been put together by the city’s Department of Water and Power, which is caught between the council and a statewide order from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to cut usage 20%.
• “If the city fails to take action, the agency that supplies the bulk of water to Los Angeles could impose rationing.”
• “U.S. cities are going to be hugely vulnerable to water shortages within the next five to 10 years. There’s a huge aquifer under several states in the Midwest. The aquifer, tapped primarily for agriculture, has been depleted over the past couple of decades and is a future crisis waiting to happen.”
• “… CNN cited a recent American Society of Civil Engineers report that concluded more than 1,800 U.S. dams are in urgent need of reconstruction work and pose a significant risk of being breached.
• “…Repairing dams and leaky pipes is not sexy. It is not cutting edge technology. …. It’s only a matter of life and death for 300 million Americans.”

Finally, we’re providing some additional resources for your personal research:

Water Crisis Websites:

www.water.org

www.usaid.gov – Water Crisis

California Water Crisis – calwatercrisis.com

Nature.com – Global Water Crisis

Water Crisis Books:

When the Rivers Run Dry: Water–The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century

Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water

Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water

Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What To Do About It

Not a Drop to Drink: America’s Water Crisis (and What You Can Do)

Beginning Preparations At The Family Level: A lot of the U.S. is in drought now and in our area, cities are tapping into a river that many local citizens thought of almost as a preserve several years ago. Water resources, among a host of others, are being rapidly depleted and we must begin to adjust our lives and lifestyles to this fact.

In beginning preparations at the family level for these coming changes we look to some basic information provided in Appendix A: Water Conservation Tips of the excellent, and previously recommended, FEMA booklet “Are You Ready? An in-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness”

This booklet is foundational in family preparedness and is FREE. It is available by calling FEMA at 1-800-BE-READY or by going to Department of Homeland Security web site: www.ready.gov.

Until the end of the week then, keep your eyes on the horizon as the weather’s changing fast.