When it comes to prioritizing your emergency supplies, what is the number one item that you should store?

Hopefully your response is WATER.  When it comes to responding to a disaster or an emergency situation securing a safe source of water should be your top priority.  The best method to accomplish this is to already have stored water on hand.

With few exceptions the average human body cannot survive without water for more than 3-4 days.  While food and other supplies are necessary and important you simply won’t last long without a good source of drinking water.

Depending on the circumstances of the emergency you’ll either need to “Grab-n-Go” or “Shelter-in-Place”.  For your convenience I’ve listed your best options for each situation.

Grab-n-Go

For “Grab-n-Go”, you basically have three options: Water Bottles, Water Pouches and Water Boxes.  A water bottle is something you can pick up from a local grocery store.  The draw back is that they’re not packaged and designed for long term storage.

Water Pouches are a great option because they’re specifically packaged for long term storage (5 years). Datrex Water Pouches contain 4.227 ounces which is the exact amount the Red Cross recommends per meal in an emergency situation. The advantage to this is that you don’t have to worry about saving an opened pouch of water.

Water Boxes are comparable to juice boxes.  Similar to pouches they are designed for long term storage (5 years).  This is an especially great option with children, since it comes with a straw and makes drinking extremely convenient. The Aqua Blox Water Boxes come in an 8.5 oz. size.  This is the equivalent of double the recommended amount per meal in an emergency situation.

Shelter-In-Place

For “Shelter-in-Place” you basically need to consider whether or not your water is going to be stationary or portable.  A little bit of both is probably the best option.

Water Barrel’s are the best option for stationary water storage.  Generally these will come in sizes that vary from 55, 30 and 15 gallon.  The ideal place for storing these will be dark and cool.  If this isn’t an option you’ll want to be sure to store these in an area that is away from direct sunlight and do your best minimize fluctuating temperatures. Don’t forget the siphon and bung wrench, these two items are essential for your large water barrels.

For portable long term storage water the 5-gallon stackable is possibly the best option available, because it’s designed to stack it allows you to have several containers in a small area. Most importantly the 5-gallon stackable is portable.

Now that you’re in the know on your emergency water options you’ll also need to figure out the amount of water you’ll need based on the number of individuals in your family. As a general rule for calculating the amount you’ll need to store, you should plan on a minimum of 1 gallon a day per person.

To get started with your emergency water needs go to the ‘Water Storage’ section of The Ready Store.