But while our water is safe below us, the infrastructure that brings it into our homes is just as vulnerable as anything else humanmade, especially when mother nature is part of the equation. Recent natural disasters like Hurricane Helene or the ever-present threat of wildfires or earthquakes in Southern California are a grim reminder that being prepared for a natural disaster event goes beyond knowing your emergency exits.
So for the sake of this thought exercise – let’s say your tap isn’t delivering water for any number of reasons. While it varies, on average we require anywhere from 4 to 6 cups of water a day, according to Harvard health. However – that number can easily double depending on your health or activity level.
If you want to start small on keeping more water around – having a pitcher in the fridge is a good place to start. If you have room in your freezer, putting water in there does double duty by having ice on hand for food storage.
If you want to go bigger – there are lots of plastic water-safe storage solutions that you can get in different sizes. Occasionally cycling this water out will keep things fresh, but if you are storing the water for emergency only access, it’s probably smart to also have water purification methods handy as well.
Easy ways to keep more water around:
- Cycling drinking water in a pitcher means you always have some water on hand
- Plastic water-safe storage can keep a large supply on hand, just make sure you keep it fresh or have water purification methods available for drinking
- If you have a garage, RV or trailer, storing water in there can keep it out of the way but available for emergencies.
- Having water bottles on hand is a quick way to distribute water to neighbors in an emergency.
The last major natural disaster to knock out water for a large population was the Landers Quake in 1992, and longtime residents may remember emergency water being delivered in aluminum cans.
Having extra water on hand at your home may help fill the gap if the tap doesn’t turn on after an emergency – and the water you keep on hand may go a long way in helping neighbors, too.
