Water is one of the basic necessities of life yet in a recent survey, nearly 57 percent of Americans said they don’t have any drinking water supply in case of an emergency. You might be able to live a while without food or shelter, but you won’t be able to live long without water. You’ll need it to keep your body working properly, prepare your food, and even for hygiene. This article delves into the necessities of water, helping you understand the importance of water, tips on how much water to use for your food storage, and even a water storage calculator to help you figure out how much water you and your family will need in case of an emergency.

Benefits of water

Sixty percent of your body weight is made up of water - it’s an essential part of your body’s make-up. Every system in your body uses water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to needy parts of the body and creates a healthy environment for tissue. If your body hasn’t had water in a while, it could start to shut down. You’ll feel your mouth start to get dry, your urine will get darker and have a stronger odor. Your heartbeat will increase and, if you’re severely dehydrated, you could begin to vomit or have diarrhea.

Water Storage Calculator 

How much water does my body use a day?

We’ve all heard the recommendation that one should drink 8 glasses of water every day. However, the amount of water that you need every day might be different. Studies have produced a lot of different recommendations and in truth, the amount of water you need depends on your health and activity along with a lot of other factors. Every day you lose water through digestion, perspiration and even breathing. In order to keep your body functioning properly, you need to keep yourself hydrated. The Institute of Medicine has determined that an average male needs to drink about 13 cups (0.8 gal) while a female needs about 9 cups (0.5 gal) of water a day. However, remember that this is only for consumption. You’ll also need water for cooking and hygiene. Depending on how active you are throughout the day, you’ll need between ¼ and 1 gallon of water just for drinking.

How much water do I use in my food storage?

The other point that a lot of people don’t think about is the fact that they will be using water to cook. Whether you are boiling water or just adding it to freeze-dried just-add-water meals, you’ll need to plan on water to supplement your food storage. After looking at some of the cans in our warehouse, we figured out some averages of how much water you’d need to prepare a variety of freeze-dried foods.

So in other words, in order to prepare freeze-dried foods, you’ll probably need 1/2 - 1 1/2 gallons of water per can. Figuring that most 3-6 month food storage kits have dozens of cans in them, that would mean that you’d need somewhere between 70 to 100 gallons of water just to prepare your food. If you’re preparing food by cooking, you’re obviously going to need a lot more as you boil or mix the water with other cooking staples. It’s recommended that you have between ¼ and ½ gallon of water just for cooking.

Hygiene

You’ll need water for cooking and body regulation, but how much water do you need for hygiene? I guess that really depends on how clean you need/want to be. During an emergency, preventing illness and the spread of disease is a major concern. Usually, a disaster can decrease the water available and contaminate water supplies. Humans also tend to have less-than-desirable hygiene habits during a disaster. Even in an emergency situation, it’s important to have water to wash your hands, clean your dishes and treat wounds. Considering that you need to wash your hands, brush your teeth and wash different parts of your body, it’s recommended that you have about 3 cups (0.18 gal) - ¼ gallon for hygiene purposes.

What Do You Need?

So, now that we know that you’ll be using water in your food storage and to keep yourself healthy, how long do you want to plan for?