After a planned city shutoff, they test living off stored water and prove the 1 gal/person/day rule is mere survival math. Realistic minimum is ~2 gal/person/day for two weeks—more is better.
Why you need more
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Drinking alone can be 0.5–1 gal/day.
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Handwashing, teeth/water pick, food prep/cleanup, and toilet flushing add up fast.
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Hygiene/laundry/medical devices push needs higher.
Water sources & planning
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Map primary/backup collection points; expect crowds/contamination.
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Harvest rain if legal; filter before use.
Non-negotiables
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Store water—clean water in clean containers, kept cool/dark.
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Diversify sizes/locations (point-of-use jugs, cases of bottles, closet stashes).
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Rotate when needed; label/date; keep tools (bung wrench, pumps) with barrels.
Three preparedness levels
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Broke but Brilliant:
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Buy jugs/bottled water; repurpose juice/soda bottles (sanitize + contact time), canning jars (water-bath for sterile “forever water”).
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55-gal barrels on pallets; have a sanitary way to dispense (siphon risk).
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Battle-Ready Water Warrior:
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Stackable tanks with bottom spigots (e.g., 55–165 gal units), quality valves, inline faucet filters; portable “aqua brick” style jugs (use solid lids for storage).
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Ready for Anything (inline home system):
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Plumb 250-gal tanks into the house line with valves/pump to seamlessly switch/rotate; know runtime and keep redundancy.
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Practical hacks
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Greywater catch basins for handwash → toilet flushing.
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Keep gloves for food prep when water is tight.
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Store what you can lift (consider mobility limits).
Bottom line: Practice outages, measure your real use, and scale storage now—two gallons per person per day is a starting point, not the finish line.