72-Hour Grindstone Family Readiness Guide
Water: The Foundation of Every Emergency Kit
Have you ever stopped to think about how many times you use water in a single day?
Water is one of the few necessities that your body simply cannot do without. While many people
have heard that a person can survive for weeks without food, the same isn't true for water.
Most healthy adults can survive only about three days without water, although that time can be
much shorter in extreme heat, during strenuous activity, or for children, older adults, and those
with certain medical conditions.
Your body is made up of roughly 60% water, and every major system depends on it. Water
regulates your body temperature, carries nutrients throughout your body, cushions your joints,
aids digestion, and helps your kidneys remove waste. Even mild dehydration can leave you
feeling tired, dizzy, irritable, or unable to think clearly. As dehydration becomes more severe, it
can lead to confusion, heat-related illness, kidney failure, organ damage, and eventually become
life-threatening.
Having water isn't just about drinking, either. Clean water is essential for basic hygiene. Washing
your hands before preparing food, cleaning small cuts and scrapes, brushing your teeth, and
maintaining good sanitation all help prevent illness. After a disaster, contaminated water and
poor hygiene can quickly spread bacteria, viruses, and parasites through a family or an entire
community. Something as simple as washing your hands can dramatically reduce the risk of
diarrheal illnesses and other infections when clean water is available.
When planning your emergency supplies, don't think of water as just another item to check off your list.
It is the foundation that supports nearly every other part of your preparedness plan.
Food, medications, cooking, sanitation, and personal health all depend on having a safe, reliable
supply of clean water.
Now imagine a severe storm has passed through your area.
The power is out. The water treatment plant is offline,
or a water main has broken.
You turn on the faucet...and nothing comes out.
You have probably heard the recommendation to store one gallon of water per person per day.
That guideline comes from emergency management agencies and is a good place to start. But it
is important to understand what that gallon is meant to do. It is a minimum survival amount,
intended primarily for drinking and very limited food preparation.
Think about everything else you use water for. If your emergency food consists of dehydrated or
freeze-dried meals, you'll need water to prepare them. You'll want to wash your hands before
eating or treating a cut. You may need to take medications, brush your teeth, or clean dishes. And
unless you have another sanitation plan, you'll quickly discover that flushing a toilet takes far
more water than most people realize.
That doesn't mean you need to panic or feel like you must store hundreds of gallons overnight.
Preparedness is about making steady progress. Start with the recommended minimum, then
continue building your supply as your budget and storage space allow. If you have room, aiming
for two to three gallons per person per day provides much more flexibility during an emergency.
Just as important as storing water is having a plan for when your stored supply begins to run low.
That's where a reliable water filtration system becomes one of the best investments you can make.
For everyday preparedness, many families choose a countertop gravity-fed filter that can purify water without electricity.
If the power is out but you can collect water from a rain barrel, creek, pond, or other source, a quality gravity filter can provide safe drinking water for your household.
For evacuation or travel, a portable filter is just as valuable. Lightweight filters, such as the Sawyer Mini or Sawyer Squeeze, fit easily into a backpack or emergency kit and can provide
access to safe drinking water when you're away from home.
Remember, a filter is not a substitute for storing water, it is your backup plan when your stored supply runs low.
The best emergency plan includes both stored water for immediate needs and a dependable way to produce more safe drinking water if the emergency lasts longer than expected.
Think of your emergency water plan in three parts:
1. Store enough water to meet your family's immediate needs.
2. Have a dependable way to filter additional water if the emergency lasts longer than expected.
3. Know where you'll find your next water source before you ever need it.
When it comes to preparedness, storing water gives you peace of mind for today. Having a way to safely produce more water gives you confidence for tomorrow.
Not every drop of water in an emergency must be drinking water, either. Rainwater or other non-potable water may be suitable for flushing toilets or other cleaning tasks, allowing you to reserve
your treated water for drinking and cooking.
Water is one of those supplies you'll never regret having. If an emergency never comes, you can rotate your stored water and replace it. But if the day arrives when your faucet runs dry, you'll be thankful you prepared before you needed it.