Guest Article: Emergency Water Storage

Dear Preppers and Survivalists,

I would like to thank Riverwalker, from Stealth Survival, for writing a quest article. Riverwalker has a great blog with lots of information and insight into prepping. I read him often.

So, on with the guest article.


Emergency Water Storage - How Much Do You Really Need?

You need to be aware of how much water you consume to fully understand how much you need to store for an emergency or a crisis. There are also some situations which will require additional amounts of water that you may not have accounted for in your planning. The average person uses approximately 50 to 80 gallons of water each and every day under normal circumstances. That’s a lot of water. Considering that most recommendations state that you should keep at least one gallon per person per day, this small amount may leave you with a critical water shortage. This could place you in a very vulnerable position during a crisis or a disaster.

With minimal activity, the average person can stay fairly well hydrated on two quarts of drinking water a day. With warmer temperatures or strenuous activities, the needed amount of water can easily double under these circumstances. If the power is out there isn’t going to be an air conditioner to keep you cool. This won’t leave you any water for other uses during a crisis. Even a simple sponge bath will require at least a quart of water person and a couple of simple meals can easily use another two quarts of water.

If you plan to go without bathing for a few days (note: this may help keep the zombies away) and are going to eat everything straight out of a can, you might have to struggle a bit but you still might manage to get by on that one gallon of water per day. The problem is that there are some other things you might want to consider also.

Kids are the first thing you need to factor into your planning for emergency water storage. There is no such thing as “minimal activity” when it comes to kids. They will probably need even more water than you will. They also have a tendency to get dirtier. Kids can be natural “dirt magnets” at times. Being able to keep the kids clean will also help them to stay healthier.

The second thing you need to factor into your emergency water storage is enough to cover minor medical emergencies. Water may be needed to clean minor cuts and scrapes or to help fight off more serious ailments. If someone develops nausea and vomiting, they are going to require more fluids than normal. The same can be said for other medical conditions like diarrhea where severe dehydration can be a very real problem.

So how much do you really need? My personal recommendation is a minimum of three gallons per day per person . This will give you one gallon for drinking, one gallon for cooking and another gallon for hygiene and medical needs. This may sound like a lot of water but it’s only about 4 % of the average person’s daily use. That’s a pretty drastic reduction in water use from normal times. It’s always better to plan on having a little extra water than to come up short in a crisis.

Got enough water stored for an emergency?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Link:
City of Seattle - Storing Emergency Water
http://www.seattle.gov/emergency/library/publiceducation/supplieskit/storing%20emergency%20water.pdf