Drought Preparedness

This is Lake Mead, Nevada. And it’s disappearing. 

This has happened in about 20 years. 

In the next 20 years, life in the US might look more like Naked and Afraid, Primal Survivor, or Alone. We may all need to know how to survive on very little water. 

Droughts are becoming increasingly common: according to WHO, drought affects 55 million people annually. Here’s what a field looks like during a severe drought.

Imagine what your neighborhood would look like after 2 months without water. Parched lips, stinking toilets, 12-hour-long waits in parking lots for your turn to enter the grocery store. Or maybe you’d miss the fun because you’d already be dead.

The government will handle it! I can’t keep the water flowing myself, can I?

Of course you can’t. The US government is doing its part, but your contribution matters. Water collection relies on natural water systems, which means we have access to a relatively fixed amount of water. Access to water can increase or decrease depending on precipitation in any given year.

An average American uses about 156 gallons of water per day, while some places in the world are consuming less than 10 gallons per person per day. If we reduce our overall water consumption, we’ll have more access to water during years with less precipitation. That means we’d be better equipped to survive droughts. 

There are also ways to prepare for drought individually, which will help your family maintain water access during water shortages. The right time to prepare is now!

This guide will explain:

1. What is a drought and who is most vulnerable?
2. How to conserve water
3. How to build a water plan, store water, and purify water
4. How to survive a drought

About the Authors

Here Comes the Apocalypse Editorial Team

It takes a village! We are researching, writing and fact checking as a family. Collaboration is the name of the game, whether we’re running from a zombie horde or finding the best way to turn a complex concept into a deliciously digestible set of bullet points.

Katherine Esperanza Contributor

Katherine Esperanza is a Los Angeles based writer. When she's not conjuring new queer slice-of-life short stories, she's busy watching the newest films, out at queer shows, supporting queer artists, or just checking out the queer community as a whole.

A former international non-profiteer, small business owner, and co-op'er, Katherine is delighted to help introduce more leftist politics into the disaster preparedness/prepper sphere, which is currently far too right-wing.