The 72-Hour Water Checklist

How to use this checklist: work through it once, on a calm day. It takes about 10 minutes. Tick what you already have; whatever is left is your shopping list.

1. Know your number

  • ☐ Count the people (and pets) in your home.
  • ☐ Multiply by 1 gallon per person per day (Ready.gov guideline). For 3 days, a family of four needs about 12 gallons.
  • ☐ Write that number on the inside of a kitchen cupboard door.

2. Day 1: stored water

  • ☐ Keep at least one day of drinking water stored (bottles or sealed containers).
  • ☐ Store it somewhere cool and dark, off the floor.
  • ☐ Note the date on the containers and rotate store-bought water before its best-by date.
  • ☐ When a storm is forecast, fill clean pots, jugs and the bathtub (for washing and flushing, not drinking).

3. Day 2 onward: a way to make water safe

  • ☐ One water filter per person, kept in the kitchen drawer. It should work without power.
  • ☐ One filter in the car glovebox or go-bag.
  • ☐ A pack of purification tablets, for virus risk (filters do not remove viruses).
  • ☐ Know how to boil water safely if you have a gas stove or camp stove: a rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 ft), then let it cool.

4. Know your backup sources

  • ☐ Your water heater tank holds clean water (turn off power or gas first, then drain from the valve at the bottom).
  • ☐ Rain barrel, pool, nearby creek or pond: never drink untreated, always filter (and add tablets for virus risk).
  • ☐ Never use water that may be contaminated with fuel, chemicals or floodwater from industrial areas. No home filter makes that safe.

5. When the boil-water notice arrives

  • ☐ Sign up for your local utility's alerts by text or email today.
  • ☐ Follow the utility's instructions; they know what is in the water.
  • ☐ Use filtered or boiled water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, baby formula and pets.
  • ☐ Do not use ice made after the notice started.

6. People who depend on you

  • ☐ Babies: keep ready-to-feed formula, or safe water to mix it.
  • ☐ Older relatives living alone: make sure they have their own water and a filter.
  • ☐ Pets: count them in your daily gallons.

7. Check twice a year

  • ☐ Set a reminder for the start of hurricane season (June 1) and the start of winter.
  • ☐ Rotate stored water, check filters are dry and capped, and replace used tablets.

See the Grid-Down Water Filter

Sources: Ready.gov (water storage guideline); U.S. CDC guidance on boil-water advisories and emergency water treatment. Always follow your local water utility and health authorities during an emergency.