The short answer: store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day, with a 3-day minimum and a 2-week goal. Apartment dwellers can realistically hit 7–14 gallons per person using stackable containers. This post covers exactly how to calculate your needs, which containers are worth buying, and how to keep stored water safe for months — or years.
Why Water Is the One Supply You Can't Skip
You can survive several weeks without food. You have roughly three days without water before the situation becomes life-threatening. Municipal water doesn't have to fail completely to cause a problem — a broken main, a boil order, or a hurricane that knocks out pumping stations can cut off safe tap water for days. During Hurricane Harvey, some neighborhoods were under boil orders for weeks. During the 2021 Texas winter storm, millions of people had no water pressure at all.
Stored water isn't about doomsday scenarios. It's about the very ordinary emergencies that happen every year.
How Much Emergency Water Do You Actually Need?
FEMA recommends 1 gallon per person per day as the baseline:
- ~0.5 gallons for drinking and cooking
- ~0.5 gallons for basic sanitation (handwashing, hygiene)
That number goes up in heat, during illness, or for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The Three Tiers of Water Storage
| Goal | Supply | Gallons Per Person |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute minimum | 3-day supply | 3 gallons |
| Solid baselineRecommended | 2-week supply | 14 gallons |
| Realistic apartment target | 3–7 days | 3–7 gallons |
Don't Forget Your Pets
Dogs need roughly 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. A 40-pound dog needs about 2.5 pints — just over a quarter gallon — daily. A dog and two adults on a 2-week supply could need 30+ gallons total.
The Best Emergency Water Storage Containers
1. Store-Bought 1-Gallon Jugs (The Zero-Friction Starting Point)
Buy a flat of 1-gallon water jugs at the grocery store. They cost about $1 each, are already sealed and ready to store, and are easy to rotate. The downside: 14 gallons of 1-gallon jugs takes up real shelf space. Think of these as your starter supply while you build toward dedicated containers.
2. 5-Gallon Jerry Cans (Best All-Around for Most People)
Food-Grade 5-Gallon Jerry Can
~$15–$20Blue food-grade 5-gallon jerry cans are the workhorse of emergency water storage. Stackable, easy to carry when full (~42 pounds), and BPA-free. A set of three gets a single person to 15 gallons. Look for containers with a wide-mouth opening and a spigot for easy dispensing. Make sure the label says "food-grade."
3. Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7-Gallon (Best Value Mid-Size)
Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7-Gallon Container
~$25–$30The most consistently recommended water container in preparedness circles. Holds 7 gallons (~58 pounds full), has a hideaway spigot so you don't need to lift the whole container to pour, and stacks when empty. Two Aqua-Tainers gives one person more than a two-week supply.
4. WaterBrick Stackable Containers (Best for Apartments)
WaterBrick 3.5-Gallon Stackable Container
~$20/unitWaterBricks stack interlocking like building blocks — up to four feet high. That matters in a small apartment where floor space is more valuable than vertical space. You can build a stable column in a closet corner, behind a door, or under a desk. HDPE construction, wide-mouth lid, can also store dry goods.
5. WaterBOB — 100 Gallons in Your Bathtub Before a Storm
WaterBOB Emergency Water Storage Bladder
~$30–$40A single-use plastic bladder that lays flat in your bathtub and fills directly from the faucet. In about 20 minutes before a hurricane or major storm, you can have 80–100 gallons of clean, sealed drinking water. Comes with a hand pump for dispensing. Not a permanent solution — it's a last-minute multiplier when you know a storm is coming.
6. 55-Gallon Barrel (For Homeowners with Garage Space)
A food-grade 55-gallon barrel covers a family of four for about two weeks in a single container. You'll need a hand pump to get water out. Not practical for renters, but worth knowing about for homeowners.
55-Gallon Water Storage Barrel on Amazon ↗
Container Comparison
| Container | Capacity | Approx. Cost | Apt-Friendly | Shelf Life | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-gallon store jugs | 1 gal | ~$1/jug | Yes | 1 year | Starting out; easy rotation |
| 5-gallon jerry can | 5 gal | ~$15–20 | Yes | 5+ years | Budget-friendly bulk storage |
| Reliance Aqua-TainerTop Pick | 7 gal | ~$25–30 | Yes (stacks empty) | 5+ years | Best all-around mid-size option |
| WaterBrick | 3.5 gal | ~$20/unit | Yes (stacks vertically) | 5+ years | Small spaces, modular storage |
| WaterBOB | 80–100 gal | ~$30–40 | Yes (single-use) | N/A — single use | Pre-storm surge capacity |
| 55-gallon barrel | 55 gal | ~$80–120 | No | 5+ years | Homeowners with garage/basement |
How to Store Water Properly
Use Food-Grade Containers Only
Never store drinking water in old milk jugs. The plastic used in milk containers degrades over time, and the proteins from milk are essentially impossible to fully sanitize. All the containers listed above use food-safe HDPE or similar materials.
Municipal Tap Water Is Already Treated
If you're filling your own containers from city tap water, you do not need to add anything before sealing, as long as you fill and seal immediately. The chlorine already in municipal water provides short-term protection.
Longer Storage
If storing for more than six months, or filling from a well or uncertain source, add a small amount of unscented liquid bleach: 8 drops per gallon. The bleach should be plain sodium hypochlorite with no added surfactants or scents. Water preserver concentrate products extend safe storage to 5 years.
Water preserver concentrate on Amazon ↗
Storage Conditions
- Keep away from direct sunlight. UV light and heat accelerate plastic breakdown and can promote algae growth.
- Store away from gasoline, pesticides, or cleaning products. Thin plastic can absorb fumes from chemicals nearby.
- Label every container with the fill date. It takes five seconds and removes all guesswork at rotation time.
Rotation Schedule
Rotate every 6–12 months — use the water for cooking, washing, or watering plants. Never just dump it.
Do You Need to Filter Stored Water?
If your water came from a treated municipal source and has been stored properly in sealed food-grade containers, no.
Filtering becomes relevant when the source is a well, stream, or lake; when stored containers were compromised; or when collecting rainwater during an emergency. For those situations, a gravity water filter is the right tool.
Your Water Storage Action Plan
Week 1 (today): Buy a flat of 1-gallon jugs at the grocery store. Label them with today's date. That's already a 3-day supply for one person.
Weeks 2–4: Pick up two or three Aqua-Tainers or a set of WaterBricks depending on your space. Fill from the tap, seal immediately, and label.
Before next hurricane season: Add a WaterBOB to your supply kit. It stores flat in a closet until you need it.
A Quick Note on Apartment Storage
The two containers that work best in small spaces are WaterBricks (vertical stacking, modular) and the Aqua-Tainer (sits on a shelf or floor, stores empty in tight spaces). A stack of WaterBricks behind a closet door is genuinely invisible. Under-bed storage works too — measure your clearance before buying.
You don't need a garage. You need a plan and about four square feet of floor space.