Storing Water For Survival

There may be a lot of information available out there about the best ways to prep for survival, but the truth is, the most important things to learn are the basics. One of these basics? Having water stored and ready to use in survival situations.

Why store water?

Going without water leads to dehydration, which can cause fatigue, headaches, overall weakness, and death if left without water for more than a few days. Since everyone is so used to turning on a faucet or grabbing a cold bottle of water out of the refrigerator, it may be hard to believe that you could be in a situation where water is scarce. Nevertheless, it’s time to get over these doubts and prepare for the worst so you can survive in these extreme circumstances.

How much should I store?

Generally, it is recommended you should store one gallon of water per person per day. This gallon per person rule will cover drinking and hygiene needs for each day, although you may need more than a gallon if you live in extremely hot temperatures where you will need to replenish more fluid.

Try to store water to last you and whoever else will be staying with you for one month. To calculate, just take the number of people and multiple by 30 to get the number of gallons you’ll need for one month.

Where should I store water?

Storing large amounts of water can take up a ton of space in your home, so it’s important to be practical and efficient when it comes to choosing how to store water. Heavy-duty plastic barrels hold about 7 gallons of water each and are stackable to save room. If you have a home with a backyard, try using a rain barrel to collect and store water. These containers can hold up to 50 gallons each, so they’re a great way to pack away large amounts of water.

What happens if I don’t store enough?

Even if you plan for a month, there’s always a chance that a month of water won’t be enough. What happens when you run out of your water supply? Always have a backup plan of how you will find and purify water after you run out. Boiling water is always the best solution to clean water and kill bacteria, but it requires a fire and a container to hold the water, which may be difficult to find in survival situations.

Also, boiling will not take out any of the sediment found within the water, it will just kill the bacteria. Another choice may be to use filters that are easy to store and quickly remove floating particles from water.