WATER

Just some thoughts as we head full blast into summer.  Did you know that the minimum suggested amount of water you should have stored for two weeks is 14 gallons per person? If you live in a hot, dry climate you'll need to store more.  A typical person needs about 1/2-gal of water per day for drinking alone.

This is just eating/drinking water -- add bathing/laundry water on top of that and you'll need a whole lot more. 

Here's a visual of how much water you'll need:  4 of these equals 2 weeks of water for 1 person.

A few years back we a bought a 55 gal., 30 gal. & 20 gal. barrel.  They came in handy last winter when our pipes froze.  They take up a large amount of space in our garage, but we put a large board over them and use it as another (lightweight) shelf.   We also have some 5 gal. barrels that can be lifted into the car (excellent for campouts, day trips, or in case of an emergency).   Think how well my 100+ gallons of water would fit in the garage if I had these water bricks (each holds 3.5 gal & stackable!)

A few more suggestions:  Rotate water every 6 months.  Be sure to use the heavy duty food grade blue barrels that allow minimal light to enter (bacterial growth thrives on light).  Don't use the milk jugs or the large bottled water containers you buy from the grocery store -- THEY WILL CRACK.  For non-drinking water (ie. laundry), store water in an empty laundry detergent container.

For more details on HOW to store water, go to the FEMA website:

Click below to see examples of containters & filters sold by Shelf Reliance:

Water filter & container products

You can search for all products at: myfamilythrives.shelfreliance.com/home/