Many of you have asked us what to do if (or more like when at this point) a hurricane makes landfall. For questions like that we suggest visiting the National Hurricane Center Web Site’s “Be Prepared” section. It has a ton of useful information on how best to get ready for the arrival of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Features and Specifications of the Doulton SS2 “Pour-Through” Gravity Fed System:

  • High Grade Stainless Steel Construction

  • Requires No External Plumbing

  • Compact and Easy to Operate

  • Easily Converted to the SS-4, a unit which utilizes 4 ceramic filters instead of 2

  • Dimensions: Assembled 8″ x 19″ / Stored 8″ x 13.5″

  • Capacity: 12 GPD (with 2 filters) 24 GPD (with 4 filters)

  • Upper Reservoir Holds 2.11 Gallons (8 liters) Untreated Water

  • Lower Reservoir Holds 2.11 Gallons (8 liters) Treated Water

    With regard to filtering capabilities, the Doulton W9361122, SS-2 Gravity Fed Water Filter reduces:

  • Chlorine by 99.99%

  • Cysts by 99.99%

  • Organic Chemicals by 99.99%

  • Parasites by 99.99%

  • Particulates by 99.99%

  • Pathogenic Bacteria (i.e. E. Coli, Cholera, Typhoid, etc.) by 99.99%

  • Rust & Sediment by 99.99%
  • One thing we know for SURE: If the authorities say, “Evacuate!”, don’t sit around like a lump on a log. Secure your property or properties as best you can (the link above has tips for that) and get out of the storm’s way!

    Too many people think a storm will ‘blow over’ by the time it reached them and that the government is ‘pulling their leg’ when it comes to flood predictions, wind estimates, etc.

    Entire cities have gotten leveled by hurricanes in the past. Don’t think it can’t and/or won’t happen again!

    What if my property gets destroyed and I wasn’t there?

    At least you’re ALIVE. Don’t think for one minute that you and a few family members or close friends pushing as hard as you can against the door to keep Mother Nature out of your home or business will do anything but put you and all those around you in the middle of something SHE intends to destroy — effectively making you and yours the meat filling in a demolished building sandwich.

    Water quality after the hurricane passes?

    Municipal Water: As a general rule of thumb, assume the worst when it comes to water quality after an event such as a hurricane until local health officials give the ‘all clear’ sign… and STILL test your water for contaminants such as bacteria, nitrates, and heavy metals such as copper, lead, iron, chromium, etc.

    Just because the water filtration plant either survived unscathed or received the necessary repairs does not mean the miles of pipes leading to your faucet didn’t suffer damage.

    Well Water: As we have said MANY times in the past and, will probably say several hundred more times in the future, no one but you has responsibility for the quality of the water coming out of your well.

    We suggest not using your well until all flood waters have subsided and the area around your wellhead has dried so you can examine it for signs of water breach.

    If ANY flood water (which definitely contained innumerable drinking water contaminants) seeped into the wellhead area you will definitely want to perform a thorough well disinfection… and for that we always suggest contacting a local water well servicing company or at the very least getting detailed instructions from your local health department.

    Then, even after you get the ‘thumbs up’ sign from a certified water testing laboratory such as National Testing Laboratories which will test your water for a LOT more (noteworthy!) parameters than you can test for on your own, we still suggest performing a battery of simple tests on a regular basis for at least three to six months after the visual aftereffects of a natural disaster have gone away.

    Why continue testing? Simple: Whenever flood waters enter an area and then leave, they leave behind a cornucopia of potentially harmful deposits that will, in time, find their way into bodies of surface water. Those bodies of water, at some point, do interact with, and often times directly affect, of surrounding water sources — despite the fact that drinking water aquifers exist deep in the ground.

    Minute and not-so-minute cracks in the rock formations encasing the aquifers will eventually allow potentially contaminated water from the surface access to the aquifers.

    Moral of the story?

    We wish everyone formerly in the path of, currently getting battered by, and about to get thrashed by Hurricane Irene (and ANY hurricane!) the best of luck during extremely difficult times.

    • Weather.Com — Great site for continuously updated Hurricane news.
    • National Hurricane Center — Excellent site created and maintained by the National Weather Service for the purpose of helping people get ready for, and hopefully recover after, a hurricane makes landfall in the United States. On our last visit to this site we noted that they had audio instructions in both English and Spanish.
    • Drinking Water Safety During/After Flooding — Similar to what we wrote above, but still might prove useful.

    • Preparing for High Winds: How to Protect a Home from Damage — Practical guide to getting one’s home, office or other building ready for potentially damaging high speed hurricane winds.

    Stay safe, play it smart and always have a plan!

    – Water Testing Blog Staff