The human body is 2/3 water by weight and 9/10 water by volume. That is why water essential for life. People can survive for up to two months without food, but die within three days without water.

After a disaster, water is one of the most important concerns. Water supplies can be polluted by sewage, animal cadavers, industrial waste, and other contaminants. These factors, along with overcrowding in shelters and people’s reduced ability to maintain good personal hygiene, can cause outbreaks in diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery.

Almost two billion people were affected by natural disasters in the last decade of the 20th century. Some 89% of the natural disasters were connected with water, including floods (50%), drought (11%) and water-related epidemics (28%). In 1999 alone, natural disasters caused 50,000 deaths worldwide. The vast majority (93%) of these deaths occurred in developing countries.

To prevent waterborne diseases after a disaster, there must be a two-fold response. First, safe water must be supplied to the victims right away. Then, after the immediate phase of disaster relief has passed, water must be made available on a sustainable basis.

Water Missions International has been able to meet both of these needs after numerous disasters, including the south Asian tsunami in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Click here to learn more about WMI’s disaster relief work.