A complete guide to emergency water storage

Almost half of Americans don’t have supplies prepared for an emergency. Think you don’t need them? Think again.

80% of Americans live in areas where a disaster occurred in the last twelve years. Those are good odds that you’ll need emergency supplies one day. And what’s more essential than water?

During a disaster, odds are you won’t have access to clean water. That’s why it’s important you have emergency water storage in your home. Otherwise, you could go thirsty while waiting for help to arrive.

Thankfully, there are plenty of emergency water storage options. This guide will introduce you to the topic of water storage preparation, as well as how and where to store your water.

1. How Much Water Should I Store?

Your water needs depend on two factors. The first is the size of your family. In general, you should prepare one gallon of water per day for each family member.

By this rule, a family of four will need four gallons of water every day. And you might want to add a bit extra in case of pets or medical necessity. If you live in a hot climate, you’ll also have significantly higher water needs.

Four gallons of water isn’t a lot to store.

But that’s just for one day. How many days of water should you prepare? That decision is ultimately up to you.

Government emergency services suggest prepping at least three days of your family’s water needs. That’s twelve gallons for our family of four.

However, three days isn’t an ample supply even for normal emergencies. If you live in an area prone to hurricanes, tornados, or other natural disasters, you might want to gather two weeks of water.

That’s a lot of water, but several storage solutions do exist. If you’re interested in storing a large sum of water, start slow. Over time, you can build your supply until it’s at a level you’re comfortable with.

2. How Long Can You Store Water?

Water doesn’t expire like food and beverages. But that doesn’t mean it can’t go bad. Storing water, when done well, can still lead to a contaminated water supply.

And just because it looks safe to drink doesn’t mean it is. Parasites and other contaminants, naked to the human eye, can dwell within your stored water. Drinking infected water can lead to life-threatening illnesses.

For this reason, you should pretend your water has a shelf-life of one year. Once a year has passed, replace the water in your chosen storage vessels…
 
 
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