In light of today's news about yet another earthquake in Japan, we were reminded of the ongoing need for humanitarian relief.  The people of Japan have a long recovery ahead from these earthquakes, as well as the tsunami and nuclear crisis.  In times such as these, bottled water can play a key role in both supply and water safety efforts.

Over the years, bottled water has proved to be a staple in providing relief to families, senior citizens, patients and orphaned children both here at home and around the world when disaster strikes - providing a critical means to stay hydrated, especially when tap water is not safe or available. Massive distributions have been made to help those put in harm’s way by floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and other disasters. For example, immediately following Hurricane Katrina, the beverage industry responded to an urgent FEMA request to provide more than 200,000 cases of bottled water for distribution to hurricane victims.  And today, many communities recommend that people keep bottled water on hand in case of a local emergency.