Water Storage

Most emergency organizations recommend that families keep 1-2 weeks of water on hand for possible emergency scenarios. Hurricanes, blizzards and other natural disasters could all interrupt the typical person's water supply.

Though I am always conscious that water is essential to life, Hubby is never really concerned about water storage. We have a well (though no backup generator), a spring within walking distance on a family member's property, a public creek within walking distance, and we live in an area of the country that tends to get at least some precipitation every month.

Nonetheless, I think we need to have some water stored for possible short-term emergencies. Why haul water from a spring for a short 2-week interruption in power?

I generally keep a case of water bottles on hand just for personal consumption. But to add to this water storage, I also purchased a few 5-gallon jugs of water (like the type used in water coolers in office buildings). In the near future I plan to get a manual pump that will allow me to pump water from these jugs without actually having to pour it out. These jugs are made from a safe plastic, they hold up well over time (as opposed to the gallon jugs of water sold by supermarkets), and they're easy to move. I think they'll probably be safe for 5 years or so before I have to replace them.

So for short-term water storage, I recommend 5-gallon water cooler jugs. They're convenient, portable and safe (though a bit pricey).