Water

Water is so fundamental to human survival that in my mind it is the #1 item to address when building your Emergency Preparedness kit.

Proof of this is the number of empty shelves at the local market within a day or so of a coming severe weather event. Everyone goes out to buy as much as they can get their hands on, and the stores can’t keep it in stock.

So, what’s the best approach? My suggestion is to stock up on water all year to avoid last minute hoarding and be prepared to use your freshwater resources at home to prepare for a water shortage.

Interruptions to water supplies can occur during a number of events

As you can see, each of these can occur at any time, not necessarily because of a weather-related emergency.

Our approach has several facets tailored to your individual plans. To begin with you will need a base supply that is kept locally at home, is portable, and is refreshed consistently throughout the year. To establish this base supply, you must first determine the amount required to supply your family with sufficient water resources. The general rule of thumb is one (1) gallon of water per person for consumption, food preparation, clean-up and hygiene.

Based on the Florida Department of Health, Emergency Management recommendations of a seven (7) day supply of food and water, this would amount to 28 gallons stored for a family of four (4). That’s a lot of water, especially if you were to purchase that all at one time.

Bottled water can be purchased in a variety of plastic disposable containers for your convenience. Containers vary from multiple gallons down to 10 or 12 oz bottles. There is nothing wrong with combining any number of these options for your individual plan. The idea is to stick to the one gallon per day per person rule of thumb.

Multiple gallon containers can be used as a bulk source of water. Most of these have a spigot of some type and will take up a little bit of counter space when in use. I buy two (2) or three (3) of these at the early part of hurricane season to bulk up my base supply, mostly because it is likely that I will have additional guests during a severe tropical weather event.

Gallon bottles of water are easier to stock and store and have the added advantage of being a little easier to manage when needed. I use this as my base supply which I will explain in more detail in a bit.

Smaller individual water bottles are obviously very convenient to use, but a little more difficult to store. They also don’t work well for larger groups when performing food prep or clean up in the kitchen.