Step 3 – Make a Water Plan

Now on to the important items!  There is no question that water will be the most critical item in your disaster kit.  You can go without food, but you can’t go without water.  And if you invest in freeze dried food, you’ll need water to rehydrate it.  So really take this seriously!

Your Goal:

• Store 1 gallon of water per person per day for a minimum THREE day supply
• Have methods to sanitize water in your disaster kit (fuel, bleach, purifiers, filters)

THREE days worth of water is the rock bottom minimum.  If you look at all of the recent disasters, it took emergency personnel up to 3 days to reach everyone … sometimes much longer.  Every disaster website will tell you that it is vital to have at least 3 days worth of supplies.  So all of my steps will use that as the base minimum.

ACTION 1: Print FEMA brochure on Food and Water

Make sure you have a printed copy of these brochures:

• FEMA: Food and Water in an Emergency
• CDC: Make Water Safe (1 page)
• Drinking Water Treatment Methods (1 page)

These brochures will explain how to sanitize water using the boiling, bleach or filter methods.   Remember that you will need fuel to boil the water!  If electricity and/or gas is not available, then you will need to use an alternative method (See Step 5 on Making a Fuel Plan).

Don’t rely on sanitizing water as your main water plan!  You need to have safe water already stored to get you through at least the first three days.

ACTION 2:  Buy  or Prepare THREE 1-gallon bottles of water per person 

Get 1 Gallon bottles of water (any brand) from your local grocery store.  You will need **THREE** 1-gallon bottles for each person so that it covers 3 days.
Family of 4 = 4 gallons x 3 days minimum = 12 GALLONS OF WATER.
Yes … you can find a place to store them!  Bottom of a closet, in the back of a cabinet.  I rotate through our bottles because they need to be swapped out every year.

**Be sure to add more bottles if you have pets!**

Economical Option:  You can create your own water bottles by reusing soda bottles and using a little chlorine bleach.  FEMA recommends replacing the water every 6 months, so be sure to label the containers and mark your calendar.  FEMA provides instructions on how to reuse plastic bottles at this link: FEMA: Food and Water in an Emergency (page 8)

ACTION 3: Make sure you can BOIL and DISINFECT water

Once you have depleted your storage of water, you may find yourself having to use water that is possibly contaminated.  It is important to have methods to make the water safe.

1. Boiling is the MOST effective way to make water safe.  You want to boil the water for at least 1 minute (3 minutes at high altitudes). It will kill disease-causing organisms including viruses, bacteria and parasites.  But you need FUEL to boil water, so make sure you have a solid fuel plan (See Step 5).
2. According to the CDC (in their Drinking Water Treatment Fact Sheet), the second best method for treating water is to use a combination of filtration and disinfection methods (e.g. filtration PLUS bleach).  Details on both of these methods are below.
3. Disinfectants (like bleach, iodine, chlorine dioxide and chlorine) can be used to treat water but disinfectants are NOT effective at killing organisms like Cryptosporidium and Giardia.  Bleach will also not remove chemical pollutants.  If you plan to incorporate this method into your water plans then be sure to print out the CDC’s instructions on how to Make Water Safe using bleach.
4. Water Filters used for outdoor backpacking are another option. They can be more effective against Cryptosporidium and Giardia than disinfectants, but they are weaker against bacteria (such as Salmonella) and viruses (common in water with animal fecal waste).  Be sure to evaluate filters carefully.  The CDC offers advice on selecting water filters in their webpage entitled A Guide to Water Filters.

Product	Description/Links	Notes
	Unscented Bleach	Have bleach on hand to disinfect water. Purchase at Grocery Store.
	Water Purification Tablets (e.g. Portable Aqua Iodine Tablest and Neutralizer Tabs) Makes questionable water safe for drinking	Water purification tablets are cheap and easy to carry. They use iodine which can unfortunately make the water taste badly. This brand comes with PA Plus which is supposed to remove the bad taste. The tablets are NOT effective against Cryptosporidium, and the Iodine can be an issue for pregnant women or people with thyroid conditions. I keep these in my BOB just as backup.
	Aquamira Water Treatment Drops (using Chlorine Dioxide)	This is another cheap and easy solution for disinfecting water and killing waterborne pathogens. It uses chlorine dioxide, so it doesn't produce the aftertaste that you get with iodine.  The AquaMira Website explains it's effectiveness against viruses, bateria and cysts including cryptosporidium and giardia.  Aquamira is also excellent for use with water storage.  Adding it to your storage containers (see Action 6) will keep the water safe for 5 years. This saves you the hassle of having to change out the water every 6 months.

ACTION 4: Buy a WATER FILTER

This is a one-time investment and will allow you to filter any water that is possibly contaminated.  If you plan to invest in a filter, be sure to print out the following guides:

CDC A Guide to Water Filters

Drinking Water Treatment Methods and Sanitation for Backcountry & Travel Use

Below are some basic camping filters.  Many of you who camp or hike may already own one.  I own a couple because it gives us more options for getting water in an emergency.  Additionally, I plan to use it on the water stored in the garage (especially if I forgot to change the water after 5 years) and to improve the taste.

I purchased a small pump filter that could travel well and a large gravity-based filter that would process large quantities of water.  It’s not necessary to get both sizes.  If you are on a limited budget, then the smaller pump-one is the way to go.

Some filters to look at:

ACTION 5: BUY water for the car

Always keep some water in your car!!!  The two best options are water pouches or water cans.

I put my water cans in a thermal lunch bag, so that they stay protected when the car gets hot.  They are in an emergency backpack that always stays in the car (this will be covered in Step 7).

Economical Option:  If you can’t afford to purchase water pouches or cans for the car, then try to always bring a couple of reusable water bottles.  Get into the habit of making sure you always have water with you.  When we go on long trips, I try to make sure everyone has a 24 oz reusable bottle of water in their cup holder.

More details about the car in Step 7 – Preparing the Car.

ACTION 6:  BUY and STORE more water in garage 

If you are working towards a One or Two Week Disaster kit, then you will need to store more water. That requires larger and more durable containers. Below are two of the best options.

It is important to remember to rotate the water every FIVE YEARS. I write the date on the jug and then put it in my digital calendar.

Product	Description/Links	Notes
	Aquamira Water Treatment Drops (using Chlorine Dioxide)	This is another cheap and easy solution for disinfecting water and killing waterborne pathogens. It uses chlorine dioxide, so it doesn't produce the aftertaste that you get with iodine.  The AquaMira Website explains it's effectiveness against viruses, bateria and cysts including cryptosporidium and giardia.  Aquamira is also excellent for use with water storage.  Adding it to your storage containers (see Action 6) will keep the water safe for 5 years. This saves you the hassle of having to change out the water every 6 months.
	Water Preserver	This water preserver can be added to stored tap water to keep the water safe for up to 5 years (so that you don't have to change it out every 3-6 months). You simply add the preserver into the container as you are filling it with water.
	Reliance 7 Gallon Containers	These water jugs are a great way to store water in the garage. The advantage of the 7 gallon containers is that you can bring them into the house as you need them. Just be aware that 7 gallons of water is VERY heavy! These containers are not expensive. The key thing is that you want to store them in a cool place. Thoroughly wash the containers before storing the water!
	Augason Farms 55 Gallon Emergency Water Storage Supply Kit	This is an excellent option for increasing your water storage if you have the space. It includes a 55 gallon container along with the Aqua Mira treatment bottles, bottle opener, siphon hose and hand pump. It covers all of the bases! Just remember that you won't be able to move it easily once it is filled.

DISCLAIMER: I participate in the Amazon Affiliate program which allows me to earn a commission for any sales that I refer. You can easily find these items at other web stores, but I would be grateful if you could buy some of the items through my Amazon links. It helps fund the work I do to maintain and expand this website.

ACTION 7:  PRINT this information on using pool water (optional and only if you are considering this)

*** Be Careful with Pool Water ***

You have to be careful using pool or hot tub water because of the chemicals used to treat it.  It is recommended that this water be used for flushing toilets and washing up.  There are some articles on how to make it suitable to drink, but they’re not from official sources.  It requires boiling and filtering.  I would use this as an ABSOLUTE last resort.

Here are a couple of articles that you might want to print if you have a pool or hot tub:

http://lbre.stanford.edu/sem/sites/all/lbre-shared/files/docs_public/drinking_water_emergency_response_information.pdf

http://www.ehow.com/how_7968957_use-pool-water-emergency.html