Hi Folks,
Here is a post from an old blog I used to have. It deals a little with water storage for emergency preparedness.


All the sources I've checked said 1 gallon per person per day is the right amount to set aside. How many days is the question. The minimum appears to be 3 days worth, 7 days being even better. For a family of four, that means up to 28 gallons. Not impossible. However, I do recall reading an article 2 (or more) years ago which stated in the event of a catastrophic earthquake, the water supply to the bay area could be lost. I seem to recall that article claiming it would take 90 days to re-establish a basic/emergency level of service, and up to 2 years to restore full service. But my memory could be wrong about that. I could not find that article online, but I did find this article on the InsideBayArea.com website which states that ' "The Bay Area's Sierra Hetch Hetchy water supply is highly vulnerable to disruption for up to 60 days following a major earthquake," stated Betsy Lauppe Rhodes, a spokeswoman for the utility, in an e-mail.'

Is it feasible to store 60 gallons of water, per person? I guess that depends on how much room you have for storage. Imagine placing a 55 gallon drum of water in each person's bedroom in your home. Makes it kind of a daunting task, doesn't it?

Now comes the "tell on myself" part. I used to always have a couple extra cases of bottled water. They run about 3 gallons per case. Right now, I have 1/2 of a case. I do drink bottled water constantly, and when my awareness is heightened I will have several cases on hand. But as time goes by and I use my stock, I replace them at a more leisurely rate. What I am thinking of doing is buying those 2-1/2 gallon jugs for the kit storage, that way I won't be so tempted to use them when I run out of bottled water.

Don't forget, your hot water heater will probably have 35+ gallons of water available, and if you have a pool or hot tub you have another source. Just be sure to have a good water filter. If you have a well on your property, make sure you have a means of getting water if the electricity is out.

One thing I have done, and still do, is reuse those water bottles. I read one time that a freezer should be around 75% - 80% full to operate at peak efficiency. So I started filling water bottles with tap water and placing them in the freezer (or removing them) to maintain about 80% space used. That will provide extra water, but since that amount is constantly fluctuating I will not count it as part of my supply. In addition to being a source of water, if the electricity is out for an extended period of time, these frozen bottles will help keep foodstuffs cold.