It is very likely in a disaster that your water supply may become contaminated or even cut off. In planning you should store enough water that each family member will have an ample supply for three days.

• Store one gallon of water, per person, per day for drinking purposes. Three gallons of water per person per day will also allow enough to cook and for limited hygiene purposes
• Don’t forget to store enough for your pets also
• If you store tap water you should store in food grade plastic containers, such as clean 2-liter soft drink bottles. You can also purchase heavy duty reusable plastic water containers at sporting goods stores
• Replace stored tap water with fresh water every six months
• If you buy commercially bottled spring or drinking water keep it in the original container and don’t re-store once the seal is broken
• Label commercially bottled water with their replacement date and store in a cool, dark place
• Replace commercially bottled water once each year

Treating Water After the Disaster

• Should you run out of stored water strain water of particles by pouring the water through a couple of layers of paper towels or clean cloth
• This should be water from your water heater or the toilet reservoir tank (except if you use toilet tank cleaners). Do not drink swimming pool or spa water but you can use it to flushing toilets or washing
• Treat water by boiling it for 3-5 minutes
• You can disinfect the water by adding 8 drops of bleach to clear water per gallon and 16 drops to cloudy water
• Shake or stir then let stand for 30 minutes. A slight chlorine taste and smell is normal