How much water should you plan for?
Remember that your supply must be easy to carry and use. A few large containers are efficient but heavy, so also keep some smaller ones that a child or older relative can lift. Think about how you will pour, and keep a clean funnel or scoop with the supply.
Public health guidance commonly suggests storing at least a gallon of drinking water per person per day for several days, and more for hot weather, illness, pregnancy or nursing. Check the current guidance from the CDC and your local emergency office, since recommended amounts can be updated.
Add water for cooking, washing and basic hygiene. Then add animals. Livestock and poultry drink a lot, and amounts depend on species, size, weather and diet. Ask your extension office to help you estimate for your own animals.
- Drinking water for every person and pet
- Water for hygiene and cooking
- Water for livestock and poultry
How should you store drinking water?
Check containers for leaks and cracks every time you rotate the water. Keep them away from fuel, chemicals and strong smells, since some plastics can take in odors. If a freeze is possible, leave a little room in the container, and keep the supply in a spot that stays above freezing.
Use clean containers made for food or drinking water, and keep them out of direct sunlight in a cool place. Avoid containers that held anything other than food or drink, because residue can remain. Label each one with the fill date.
Commercially bottled water, kept sealed, is simple and reliable. If you fill your own containers, follow the CDC's current instructions for cleaning containers and for using safe water. Replace stored water on the schedule recommended by the source you follow.
What if you depend on a private well?
A well pump stops when power does, so wells are only an emergency water source if you have a way to run the pump safely or draw water by hand. Ask a licensed well contractor about the options for your system. Never improvise electrical connections.
Floods, power surges and damage can contaminate a well. After flooding or any event that might have allowed surface water in, do not drink the water until it has been tested. Your local health department can explain how to test and who can disinfect a well.
How do you make questionable water safer?
If stored water runs out, you may need to treat water from another source. The CDC and your local health department describe approved methods, such as boiling or specific treatment steps. Follow their current guidance and the product label for any filter or treatment product you buy. Not every filter removes every contaminant.
Cloudy water should be strained before treatment. Water that might be chemically contaminated, such as water that has had fuel or pesticide spilled in it, cannot be made safe by boiling. Use another source and call local officials.
- Follow current CDC and health department steps
- Read the label on any filter or treatment product
- Never use water that may carry chemicals
How do you water animals in an emergency?
Know how much your animals need and how you would deliver it. A trough that holds several days of water is useful, but it must be clean, and animals can foul water. Large tanks and gravity systems need regular checks, especially in hot or freezing weather.
Do not give animals water you would not drink without first asking your veterinarian or extension agent. Animals can become ill from contaminated water too. Plan for freezing temperatures, which can turn a stored supply into ice.
Where can you find backup sources?
Write down your backup sources on the plan so that anybody in the family can act if you are not home. Walk to each one once so that you know the route, the distance and what you would need to carry. A plan that exists only in your head is hard for others to follow.
Think about water inside the house, such as the water heater tank, and ask a plumber how to draw from it safely. Think about neighbors, a nearby spring, a pond for non-drinking uses and municipal distribution points that may open in a disaster.
Know that surface water sources like ponds and creeks may carry germs and chemicals, so they should be treated for drinking and never trusted as they are. Ask your health department and extension office which sources are reasonable where you live.
Key takeaways
- Store drinking water for people, pets and livestock, and check current CDC amounts.
- Use clean food-grade containers, label the dates and keep them cool and out of sunlight.
- Have a licensed contractor review your well options, and test a well after flooding.
- Follow current CDC and health department steps for treating questionable water.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Homestead & Small Farm Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.