It’s inevitable. Every time there’s a warning that an emergency or bad weather is imminent, grocery store shelves are emptied within hours. The essentials of toilet paper, disposable diapers, food, and water all disappear. People panic buy, often taking more than they need, and others are completely left without.
One thing we teach at Be Ready Utah, is that when you are sufficiently prepared, a disaster becomes an emergency; an emergency becomes an inconvenience; and an inconvenience becomes just another day. When you take even the most basic steps to prepare yourself and your family, you greatly increase the possibility of getting through the next crisis with your health, dignity, and comfort still intact.
You know water is a vital part of your preparedness, but many still struggle with the “how to” and the “how much”. The reality is that many homes in Utah have limited storage space and many households have limited budget to put toward water storage or any other basic emergency supplies.
The secret comes down to this: Something is ALWAYS better than NOTHING! Do the best you can with the resources you have. It doesn’t have to be “perfect”, “ideal”, or even “the best”.
We recommend a minimum of one gallon of water per day per person in your household. That’s a minimum of 14 gallons a person. But if this is difficult for you to do all at once, start with three days worth of water for each person. Don’t be complacent, but work up to more as you are able.
Commercially bottled water that comes in the cases at the grocery and box stores is a good place to start. It’s not very expensive, and it’s ready to put on your shelf. The bottles are made to break down after a few years, so they are not a good long-term option. Just make sure you rotate through them every few years. If you’re taking them to work, in the car, or when you go on vacation, rotation is an easy thing.
Another great option for water storage is two and three liter plastic soda pop bottles. They are durable and air-tight, perfect for long-term water storage. Just make sure they are completely cleaned and rinsed before filling. In cool, dark, and dry storage conditions, these will last for many years. Don’t use milk jugs. They literally fall apart after a while.

If you have the space and the budget, food-grade plastic containers made from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) are the standard and recommended way to store water for the long term. Look for the “2” in the recycling triangle. They are affordable and easy to find in your local preparedness store and also in many grocery stores.
Your larger containers are your best use of storage space, but you should have some smaller ones as well that you can carry to your kitchen or wherever else you need water. Once that’s empty, go back and fill from your larger containers.
Remember that municipal tap water is already treated and is ready for long-term storage. More chemicals or treatment is unnecessary. Save your money and put it towards a good water filter.
Visit the following pages from BeReady.Utah.gov for more information on Water Storage and Water Treatment.
Do This:
- Store a MINIMUM of one gallon of clean drinking water per person per day.
- Store a MINIMUM two-week supply (14 gallons each) for you and your family.
- Gather and store water treatment supplies in your disaster supply kits and at home supplies.
- Secure your water heater with earthquake water heater straps.
- BONUS: Store a full month of water for your entire household.
Videos: Watch and share with someone you care about
- PSA: Talk about Emergency Prep Tap Water (1 min)
- The Be Ready Buzz: Two Liter Bottle Water Storage (2 min)
- The Be Ready Buzz: One Gallon of Water Per Day (1.5 min)
- The Be Ready Buzz: Pre Bottled Water (1.5 min)
- Be Ready Utah PrepCast: Importance of Water in an Emergency (7 min)
- Be Ready Utah PrepCast: Water Storage (10.5 min)
Printable brochures: Read and share with someone you care about
For the Workplace: Consider water storage at the workplace. Also, did you know that an employee’s level of individual or family preparedness has a direct impact on their ability to come to work and continue operations when disaster hits? Once an employee is confident their family needs are met then that employee will be able to continue functioning at the workplace. Use this Employee Preparedness at Home and Work guide to plan ways to promote employee individual and family preparedness before disasters and support family communication during disasters. Learn more with the free online Business Continuity Training Unit on “Family First / Preparedness at Home,” and find planning tools in the Be Ready Business Library. Share these links with your employer to prepare your workplace for 2025.
For the School: Is your school prepared to shelter and feed your entire student body overnight with no power, gas, water utilities, or communication services? Basic school supplies preparedness includes water, food, sanitation/toilet capabilities, sheltering, warmth, first aid supplies, student personal preparedness kits, and trained staff. Consider asking your school about their water storage and other supplies, and what to expect as a parent. If your school doesn’t have a plan, encourage your school to Make a Plan to be more prepared in 2025.
For the Community: Since water is vital for everyone’s survival, reach out to your neighbors and those you care about and share with them what you have learned and done for emergency water storage. Help and encourage them to start their own water storage in their homes. Also, ask your city or county Emergency Manager if your community has preparedness classes where preparedness principles like water storage are regularly taught to the public. Volunteer to organize those classes.
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Prepare and share what you learned with someone you care about.
- Individuals can use this for family and household activities and learning.
- Schools can share this with employees, students, and parents.
- Workplaces can share this with employees.
- Community, faith-based, and other social groups can share this with their community.
- And much more…