Water is essential for the human body. Like food and shelter, it’s one of the most basic necessities for survival. Yet, with infrastructural and environmental conditions constantly changing, issues can occur with your water main. Sometimes, this may even result in an emergency water outage. Here’s everything you need to know about emergency water outages.
Be Prepared
The first thing to know about an emergency water shortage is that you need to be prepared for what’s to come. Water outages can last from several hours to several days depending on severity. Typically, a water outage is caused by main breaks, major leaks, natural disasters, or environmental conditions that disrupt or damage the piping and infrastructure of the local water system. Given the unforeseen time it may take to repair these issues, there are some ways to stay prepared if you don’t have access to usable or potable water.
Stock Up
The first thing to do is stock up on usable and drinkable water. A good reference is to store at least one gallon of water per day for both drinking and sanitation, but needs may vary based on age, diet, habits, health, and climate. Humans need to drink about three-quarters to one gallon of water each day to stay hydrated, so try to store more than necessary if possible. Also, children, nursing mothers, sick people, and the elderly may require more water. Those living in warmer climates may also need more water to avoid dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Stay Hydrated
Of course, remember to hydrate. A water outage is no excuse to replace water with carbonated or sugary beverages. In fact, doing so increases your risk of dehydration. That’s because other beverages, like soda, energy drinks, juice, or alcohol, dehydrate the body. Drinking more of these fluids further increases your need for water, which can diminish your supply faster than expected. It may help to stock up on water purification tablets or a water filter if you need to retrieve water from external sources. These purify the water to reduce the risk of infection or disease, making it safe and potable for consumption.
Call for Professional Help
Part of everything to know about emergency water outages means knowing when to call for help. Assuming this water outage is not due to a natural disaster or area-wide effect, you should always call a local plumbing service to investigate and repair the water main or piping system causing the outage. Whether you live in the countryside or the city, professionals who have the tools to fix the issue will be by your side as fast as possible.
If you need sewer and water contractors in NYC, call Harris Main and Water. We have all the tools, expertise, and knowledge to handle any main break, leak, or damaged pipes or infrastructure, no matter how large or small. With emergency services available, we’ll be there before you know it. Call now, and we’ll send technicians over to resolve the problem.
