The baseline: one gallon per person, per day
The standard recommendation is one gallon (3.8 liters) per person per day. About half is for drinking; the rest covers cooking, cleaning, and hygiene. Store a minimum of three days for evacuation and two weeks for sheltering at home.
- 1 person, 2 weeks: 14 gallons
- Family of 4, 2 weeks: 56 gallons
- Add more for hot climates, pregnancy, illness, and pets
Don't forget pets
Dogs and cats need roughly an ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. A 50-pound dog drinks about half a gallon daily — plan for it.
How to store water safely
- Use food-grade containers designed for water storage
- Keep containers out of direct sunlight and away from chemicals
- Label with the fill date and rotate every 6 months
- Commercial sealed bottled water can be kept until its printed date
Making water safe to drink
If you run low, you can treat questionable water. Boiling for one minute is the most reliable method. You can also use unscented household bleach (about 8 drops per gallon, stirred and left 30 minutes) or purification tablets and filters rated for pathogens.
Know your household's exact need
Your ideal supply depends on household size, climate, and medical needs. Prepit calculates your target automatically from your profile and tells you how many gallons you are short.