Natural disaster can strike at any time.  Sometimes we have warnings, other times not.

Hurricane Katrina shattered the lives of millions.  One of the problems the authorities had to deal with was that in many places the drinking water had become severely contaminated and could not be conserved.

After Hurricane Wilma, thousands in Florida had to wait days for bottled water to arrive.

Major earthquakes, such as the one that hit Northern Pakistan in early 2006 left large populations without essential services, including water.

After the recent electricity blackout in the northeast U.S.A., cities as far away as Cleveland, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan were significantly affected.  Residents of Cleveland and surrounding areas could not drink their water for several days due to cross-contamination of the water supplies.