How much water to store for an emergency
For a power outage, a water cut or any emergency, water comes first in the kit.
Every figure has its official source at the end.
All of this, put into a plan for your home, is in the guide Ready in 7 Days.
How much per person
- About 3 litres per person per day, for drinking and preparing food: 9 litres each for three days.
- Keep drinking water for at least three days, plus water for cooking and for pets.
- Without electricity the waterworks can stop: a long power cut can also cut the water.
What to buy
Bottled water
The simplest option, from the supermarket. Keep it sealed in its original container, somewhere cool and dark.
Water container with a tap
To store tap water and pour it without tipping the whole container. Food-grade, and washed with soap and water before you fill it.
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The rest of the kit, in levels and with what each one costs, in the kit.
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How to store it
- Keep bottled water sealed, in its original container, somewhere cool and dark.
- Keep clean containers or buckets with lids to fetch and store water.
- Never in containers that have held chemicals such as bleach or pesticides.
If the tap water is not safe
- Do not use water with an unusual colour, smell or taste, and tell your water company.
- A rolling boil is enough. Let it cool on its own, without adding ice, and keep it covered.
- Filters and purification tablets may not remove everything: do not rely on them alone.
- If a water distribution point opens, fetch water there, and bring some to neighbours who can't.
Sources
Checked on 02/11/2026.
- Ready.gov (FEMA), "Water"
- Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), "Prepared for crises"
- Government of the Netherlands, Ministry of Justice and Security, "Putting together an emergency kit"
- Finnish Government, suomi.fi: "Water outage and water contamination"
- BBK, German Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, "Prepare for crises and disasters"
- CDC, "How to Create an Emergency Water Supply"
- WHO, "Boil water", technical note WHO/FWC/WSH/15.02
This does not replace instructions from the authorities or 112: if they say something different, do what they say.
Your home's water, in 20 minutes
In Ready in 7 Days, day 2 is water: you work out your home's numbers in its table, with what you already have, and store it with the date written on it so you know when to replace it.
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