Fresh Water Supply Tops Disaster Kit List for Hurricane Preparedness

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- As hurricane Earl batters the Caribbean, National Hurricane Center forecasters are not ruling out a direct hit on the US Atlantic Coast.  Evacuations have already been ordered in parts of North Carolina.

Primo Water Corporation urges families in the path of the storm to make sure they include enough fresh water as they start assembling hurricane disaster kits.  Both the National Hurricane Center and the American Red Cross put a fresh water supply at the top of the list of things to gather.  

"The flooding that accompanies a hurricane can contaminate local water systems, so stocking up on three- or five- gallon bottles of water before the storm hits is the responsible thing to do," said Kelly Lockwood-Primus, Primo VP of Marketing.

"Primo has a hurricane plan that allows us to supplement water availability in various parts of the country in the event of a disaster," she said.  Company workers in the Carolinas started moving resources to the Outer Banks earlier this week.  Other Primo crews began redirecting supplies to the Maryland, New Jersey and New York coasts.  Extra Primo resources have also been put on standby for New England.  

The National Hurricane Center recommends families prepare at least one gallon of water per person per day to last for three to seven days.  The Red Cross recommends a three day supply in the case of an evacuation; a two week supply for those who wait out the storm at home.  

Non-perishable food and water may be the obvious basis for any disaster kit, but getting along without electricity can be a critical challenge.  Next to vital family documents, fresh batteries and flashlights are among the items forgotten most, and for those who prepared with three- and five-gallon bottled water, getting access is difficult without a manual pump.  Primo offers that option with its Bottled Water Pump.  It is available through national retailers as well as www.PrimoWater.com.

Learn more about disaster preparedness and how to build a disaster kit from:

The National Hurricane Center:  http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

The American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org

Primo Water Corporation is the responsible choice for consumers who want to drink great tasting water. A leading nationwide provider of water and Energy Star rated home water dispensers; Primo chooses not to sell water in single-use water bottles and instead promotes the reduction of plastic in landfills by offering zero waste three- and five-gallon bottles. Primo's patent pending recycle/exchange program encourages consumers to return the empty bottle. Primo then refreshes and re-uses the bottles an average of 40 times before recycling the plastic. The majority of Primo water is bottled at locations within 100 miles of its point of sale minimizing its transportation carbon footprint. In nationwide blind taste tests, 3 out of 4 consumers preferred Primo over the nation's top selling spring waters.

Learn more about Primo Water at www.primowater.com.

SOURCE Primo Water Corporation