Water too much and yet not enough

Like you, I have heard some incredible stories during the past 10 days involving Hurricane Katrina and the terrible devastation it caused. All of the stories involve water, either too much or not enough. Like you, I have been moved by the loss and sadness of the many families who have been separated, and the many lives that have been lost. As a teacher, I welcomed a new student this week who was a resident of Louisiana. She has seven brothers and sisters, and three cousins who were displaced because of Hurricane Katrina. She is now living with a relative in the North Texas area, along with her mother and her sisters. Her brothers are staying with another relative in another area of town. Like many of the former Louisiana residents, she doesn't want to be near water or have anything to do with water, swimming or otherwise, for a long time. Another story involving water, and one closer to home: My husband, who is a police officer, was sent on a call the other day to check on an elderly woman whose son had not heard from his 80-year-old mother in over 10 days. My husband drove to the elderly woman's home and knocked on her door. No answer. When my husband opened the door, he heard a screeching sound coming from the bathroom. He opened the door and there was the 80-year-old woman lying in the bathtub alive! She said she could not get out of the tub, and subsisted off water for 10 days ... at the age of 80! The desperate screams for water by the New Orleans residents and the survival of the 80-year-old woman made me stop to reflect on our basic human needs. Starting with water, our most basic provision that most of us take for granted. We have all witnessed the power of water by Hurricane Katrina. Ironically, New Orleans had plenty of water, but not enough clean water. Thankfully, the elderly woman had clean water, which kept her alive for 10 days. Water safety I found a 1965 American Red Cross Life Saving and Water Safety guidebook at an antique store a few years ago and read it for the first time this week. I was curious about the 40-year-old information published by the Red Cross, the primary relief agency for Hurricane Katrina evacuees, and its relevance to the realities of 2005. Interestingly, the information can still be applied today, 40 years later. The preface of the guidebook states, "Safety in and on the water depends upon a number of things. It begins, of course, with the ability to swim well enough to care for one's self under ordinary conditions. It does not, however, end there. Real water safety is also based upon such things as the ability to recognize and avoid hazardous water conditions [such as having the resources to evacuate prior to a predicted hurricane] and practices. In 1963, the entire country's annual drowning loss had actually decreased about one-third to a figure of approximately 6,400." Reports about the Katrina victims will likely exceed that figure in one city alone. Why do we need water? Human beings can survive without food for about 35 days, but without water, life would end in three to five days. The average person's body is composed of approximately 70 percent water, although the water content varies considerably from person to person and even from one body part to another. The body's water supply is responsible for and involved in nearly every bodily process, including digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion. Water helps maintain normal body temperature and is essential for carrying waste material out of the body. Blood is mostly water, and our muscles, lungs and brain all contain a lot of water. About 85 percent of brain tissue is water. The brain is about one-fiftieth of the body's total weight, and it uses about one-twentieth of the body's blood supply. Dehydration causes energy generation in the brain to decrease. The safety of tap water A study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that 18,500 of the nation's water systems (serving some 45 million Americans) violated safe drinking water laws at some point during 1994 or 1995. The council's report attributed contaminated water for some 900,000 illnesses a year, including 100 deaths. Even if the levels of individual substances in water are well within "allowable" limits, the total of all contaminants present may still be harmful to your health. And private wells may not be regulated at all, except at the local level. How much water do we need? A good rule of thumb is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. Signs of dehydration The body's "thirst reflex" is the last signal of excessive dehydration. By the time you become thirsty, the damage has already been done. Symptoms of mild dehydration include chronic pains in joints and muscles, lower back pain, headaches and constipation. Thirst is an obvious sign of dehydration and, in fact, you need water long before you feel thirsty. Hunger pains are really dehydration pleas for water. Try drinking a full glass of water the next time you feel a hunger pain. In the meantime, it is the hunger pains of the hurricane evacuees that we need to feed. So let's all continue to give what we can, and even a little more. Even if it's just a bottle of water, because every precious drop counts. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled. -- Psalm 44:3 Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Not only will God offer water, the basic necessity of life, but he also offers all that brings overwhelming satisfaction or abundance to life. Best of all, the invitation is extended to those who have no money. The Lord freely offers everything necessary to give His people an abundant life. -- Isaiah 55:1 Visit The Apple Lady online