Water Storage Needs

Aside from oxygen, water is the most essential element for human life.  To prepare for an emergency, each person is encouraged to have at least a 3-day supply of water (at least one gallon per person per day).  A healthy, active person needs at least one-half gallon of water daily for drinking, but it would be nice to have that other half gallon for cleaning up.

Here are some guidelines to determine your family’s water storage needs:

• Ages, physical condition, activity and special dietary needs in your home.
• Climate of your area. Very hot temperatures can double the amount of water needed.
• Children, nursing mothers, and ill people need more water.
• Medical emergencies can require additional water.

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Finding Water in an Emergency

If an emergency were to occur, hopefully you would have at least a 3 day supply of water for your family, but if a situation finds you unprepared, there are some resources at home that you can use.  One of those is to empty your hot water tank. To use the water in your hot-water tank, be sure the electricity or gas is off, and open the drain at the bottom of the tank. Start the water flowing by turning off the water intake valve at the tank and turning on a hot-water faucet. Refill the tank before turning the gas or electricity back on. If the gas is turned off, a professional will be needed to turn it back on. 

Drinking water can also be found in ice cubes, frozen containers of water, or even the toilet tank (not the bowl, of course) provided a chemical disinfectant has not been added to the tank.  An important point to remember is to keep water coming into the home shut off to avoid contaminants, until the emergency has passed.

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