Emergency Water Delivery: Your Lifeline in Crisis Situations Explained

Spring has arrived across the U.S., and we are witnessing unprecedented disasters unfolding before us in real time. Historic flooding, historic tornado outbreaks, you name it. When the water recedes and the storms pass, one of the first things that has to be made available is fresh, potable water. Some estimates suggest that Hurricane Helene dumped 40 trillion gallons of water on the Asheville region last year, and this spring's drenching is likely to be around the same amount. 

That much rainwater swells reservoirs, natural lakes, and then rivers and streams well beyond their capacity, so it goes everywhere…including the fresh water supply. 

It will take weeks to months to restore fresh water, and in the meantime, people need water immediately. 

Here’s how Greenwood Aerospace addresses this time-sensitive and crucial topic. 

What is Emergency Water Delivery?

Drinking water is one of the first emergency supplies that must be established in the wake of any natural disaster. There are a few ways that water is delivered in an emergency event. One of the more common ways is via water tanked trucks, which haul several thousand gallons of potable water. This method is great for the rapid movement of fresh water, but it's not all that practical. 

People who have just lost everything may not have a reliable way to transport tap water or, especially, to store it once they have it. If you are living in a tent because your house was destroyed or swept away by water, water storage is likely to be at a premium. 

This is why we suggest a healthy supply of bottled water for all disaster recovery events. Bottled water is safe drinking water accessible and storable for everyone, and it’s also the easiest way to distribute clean, fresh drinking water until safe tap water is restored. 

Here are a few of the main points

  • Emergency water delivery refers to providing safe drinking water during crises, such as natural disasters or infrastructure failures.
  • It involves rapidly deploying bottled water, water filtration systems, or other water treatment solutions to affected areas.
  • Emergency water delivery is crucial for maintaining public health and safety during emergencies.

Importance of Access to Safe Drinking Water

Access to safe drinking water is crucial for human survival, particularly in times of emergency. Take this time of year: major river flooding knocks out all utilities, and it will be out for a long while. You can live without power for a while, even though it’s uncomfortable, but if the temperatures are pushing 90° or higher, you cannot live without clean water. 

Unclean water can (and routinely does)  lead to waterborne illnesses, dehydration, and even death. Contaminated water still claims over one million lives annually globally, making this a serious issue.

Safe drinking water is essential for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene, and plastic bottles are the most convenient way, logistically, to provide this. 

Types of Emergency Water Supply

There are several types of emergency water supplies suitable for use in emergencies. Remember, you cannot take any chances with unsafe water. Even though your tap water may look fine and smell fine, that does not mean it is fine. Also, soft drinks are not a substitute for clean drinking water.

Finally, check with your local emergency management agency to confirm if your tap water is safe to use if boiled. However, this process may still take days or weeks to reach a point where it is safe to drink boiled water.

  • Bottled water: commercially bottled water packaged and distributed for emergency use. This is our preferred method of providing safe drinking water to disaster victims. We guarantee it is secure and free from contaminants. It is also a crucial component of all emergency supply kits and response packages.
  • Boiled water is water that has been boiled to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. However, this is only permissible under certain conditions. Who knows what will pass through areas of major flooding, so boiling and filter systems may not be options for a while.
  • Filtered water: water that has been passed through a water filter to remove impurities. Water treatment specialists are your experts on whether filtered water is safe to drink in a disaster area.
  • Treated water: water that has been treated with chemicals or other methods to make it safe for consumption.

Benefits of Emergency Water Delivery

It is going to get hot in parts of the world that are chronically under the threat of severe weather. The Deep South is already hot and getting hotter, and with major flooding everywhere, it will be muggy, muddy, and gross. The only real options for clean water are to have it trucked in. However, here are a few reasons why this should be your standard practice if you are an emergency supplies coordinator.

  • Rapid response: Emergency water delivery can provide fast access to safe drinking water during crises. Temps are going to soar into the 90s before we know it, and victims need water immediately. There is no 10-14 days option.
  • Convenience: Bottled water and other emergency supplies can easily be transported and stored. Greenwood Aerospace provides water for disaster relief purchases. We offer access to truckloads of palletized water bottles, both 16.9-oz bottles and one-gallon jugs of bottled water. Each truckload supplies approximately 5,000 gallons of fresh, clean bottled water.
  • Cost-effective: Greenwood Aerospace is partnering with a well-established and respected local vendor to supply bulk emergency water supplies, including bottled water. 
  • Environmental benefits: Using emergency water supplies can reduce the environmental impact of traditional water treatment methods.

Choosing the Right Emergency Water Supply

Selecting the appropriate response measures is a crucial part of the process. We've discussed it a lot, but consider it again: tanker trucks carry more water, leaving a lot to be desired once they arrive on the scene.

People on the ground must be able to capture potable water and then transport it back to their home or wherever they are staying. Then, they have to store it and use it safely. This is not ideal, although certainly better than nothing. However, the best overall solution, especially for immediate emergency supplies, is to procure and distribute bottled water.

Plastic bottles are safe and easy to transport, even if all you have is a wagon. Responders and volunteers can also get a bottle just about anywhere via UTVs, ATVs, light trucks, SUVs, boats, canoes, or even on foot. You cannot do that with bulk potable water from tankers.

Additionally, every bottle of bottled water is a sealed container, ensuring your health in uncertain times. Plastic bottles are easily handled, transported, and offloaded from a semi-truck. Even if you don't have access to a forklift, pallets of bottled water are easy and fast to break down with nothing more than a utility knife or even a pocket knife. In some ways, glass is more desirable. Still, there is no comparison to the utility and security of plastic bottles.

  • Consider the type of emergency: different emergencies require different types of emergency water supplies. Unless there is already a dedicated emergency supplies repository for bulk potable water that was unaffected by the disaster, the best way to obtain purified water is through bottled water.
  • Consider the number of people affected: the amount of emergency water supply needed will depend on the number of people affected. Each person needs roughly one gallon of drinking water daily, but that number goes up with environmental influences like high temperatures, high humidity, access to air conditioning, and high levels of exertion.
  • Consider the duration of the emergency: the type and amount of emergency water supply needed will depend on the duration of the emergency. After Hurricane Helene, months passed with minimal forward progress, indicating that water supplies will be a long-term effort for some disaster responses.
  • Consider the environmental impact: choose emergency water supplies with minimal ecological impact.

Emergency Preparedness

Contrary to some popular opinion, maintaining a stockpile of bottled water is not always the best course of action. Bottled water has a shelf life, so it must be rotated out when that time is reached. It either has to be donated before it expires or thrown out.

Instead, we suggest one of our purchase options on GSA Advantage. We can procure and deliver water just about as quickly as it can be removed from your warehouse, and it will be fresh water, rather than bottled water that has been sitting idle.

Develop an emergency plan: A plan can help ensure that emergency water supplies are deployed quickly and effectively. Lock our listings in your favorites tab so that when you need fresh water, you know precisely what quantity you'll receive, exactly what the delivery schedule is, and exactly what it will cost you.

Consider the hot climate: Emergency water supplies may need to be deployed more quickly to prevent dehydration. Additionally, plastic bottles left in the heat are suboptimal. Be sure to gauge your needs so you don't overorder water. It is a fine line between not enough and too much. Additionally, if there is storage to keep the water out of direct sunlight, it will remain usable for quite a while; direct sunlight in hot weather is the primary issue.

As a general rule, one full trailer of water bottles provides approximately enough water for 5,000 people for one day. So, if it's a small town of around 2,000, it's enough for 2-2 1/2 days, and so on.

Water Supply Considerations

What are the main things that you need to know about your water supply? Bottled water is the easiest way to ensure that the water you provide and send on-site is fresh, clean, and high-quality.

  • Water Quality: Verify that emergency water supplies meet or exceed safe drinking water standards. We exclusively source our bottled water from a trusted local supplier with whom we have a long-standing business relationship.
  • Water Quantity: Make sure that emergency water supplies are sufficient to meet the needs of affected populations. On average, people need one gallon of emergency drinking water per day on hand. If it is hot, they need more. This is not a hard and fast rule, but doubling is a good idea when it's hot outside.
  • Water distribution: Emergency water supplies must be distributed quickly and effectively to affected areas. Bottled water is the easiest way to do this. It can be delivered by truckload directly to the area, but if roads are down or flooded, pallets can be picked up and sent in on smaller trucks, or they are easily breakable and can be divided up.

Final Thoughts on Emergency Water Delivery

Water is at the top of the list of essential items that must be procured immediately after an emergency event occurs. Almost before the dust has even settled or the floodwater recedes, National Guardsmen are trucking out bottled water to victims so they can stay hydrated. 

Buying palletized bottled water by the truckload makes the most sense for federal, state, and even local agencies when disaster strikes.  A standard 53-foot semi-trailer holds 20 pallets of 16.9-ounce bottled water, which equals 40,320 individual bottles, or roughly 5,300 gallons of fresh drinking water. Or, if you prefer one-gallon water jugs, the total water volume will be slightly less, at 4,872 gallons. However, one-gallon jugs are a convenient way to make sure every person receives one gallon of water per day.