HurricaneHub blog
How much emergency water to store for a hurricane, which containers to use, how to follow boil-water notices, and when boiling or filtering is not enough.
Published 2026-08-18 · Last modified 2026-08-18
Ready.gov advises storing at least one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation, with several days of supply and more when practical. Store commercially bottled water or properly prepared food-grade containers in a cool place away from chemicals. If officials issue a boil-water or do-not-use notice, follow the exact local instructions because boiling kills many germs but does not remove fuels, pesticides, metals, or other chemical contamination.
Use one gallon per person per day as a planning minimum, then adjust for heat, pregnancy, illness, physical activity, pets, and medical needs. Ready.gov recommends considering a two-week home supply when possible. Keep a smaller portable supply with your evacuation kit.
Unopened commercial bottled water is the simplest option. For water filled at home, CDC recommends food-grade storage containers with tight closures that cannot be easily broken. Do not use containers that previously held toxic chemicals, and avoid containers that are difficult to clean thoroughly. Label home-filled containers with the storage date.
Keep emergency water in a cool location away from direct sunlight, gasoline, pesticides, and household chemicals. CDC guidance recommends replacing water stored in self-filled containers every six months. Follow the printed date and storage instructions for commercial bottled water, and inspect every container for leaks or contamination before use.
A boil-water advisory, do-not-drink advisory, and do-not-use advisory are not interchangeable. During a boil-water advisory, local officials may instruct residents to boil water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and infant formula. A do-not-drink or do-not-use notice may indicate chemical contamination that boiling cannot fix. Use sealed bottled water and follow the utility or health department instructions exactly.
CDC guidance generally calls for bringing clear water to a rolling boil for one minute, then cooling it in a clean, covered container; elevation-specific directions may differ. Cloudy water may need filtering through a clean cloth or settling before boiling. Always follow the current local notice, because boiling does not make chemically contaminated water safe.
Portable filters remove different organisms depending on their specifications, and many filters do not remove viruses or chemicals. Disinfectant directions depend on the product and concentration. Use only products labeled for drinking-water treatment and follow their instructions; do not improvise a dose. EPA's emergency disinfection guidance and local public-health instructions should control when boiling is not available.
Infant formula, pregnancy, illness, dialysis, wound care, and some medical equipment can require additional or specially prepared water. Ask the relevant clinician or equipment provider before a storm for need-specific instructions. Store pet water with the household supply and keep some in the evacuation kit.
Water planning works best alongside /blog/hurricane-emergency-kit-checklist/, /blog/hurricane-power-outage-food-medicine-plan/, /blog/hurricane-pet-safety/, /tools/preparedness-checklist/, and /hurricane-tracker/live/. Use the tracker for storm context, but get water-safety orders from the local utility, health department, emergency management, and weather.gov alerts.
Sources reviewed for this guide: Ready.gov water preparedness at https://www.ready.gov/water; CDC emergency water storage and treatment at https://www.cdc.gov/water-emergency/about/; and EPA emergency drinking-water disinfection guidance at https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/emergency-disinfection-drinking-water. Local notices override general guidance.
Before making a life-safety decision, check weather.gov, your local emergency management agency, and current NHC advisories. NOAA/NESDIS and NASA images in this article are public-domain source visuals.
Use the article for background, then move to the tracker, alert, city, or planning page that matches your current situation.
Turn the article into a supplies, documents, pets, and household readiness checklist.
Translate watch, warning, surge, flood, tornado, and evacuation wording into household actions.
Check current NHC storm context, live map shortcuts, radar, and active alert pathways.
Move from general guidance to local storm surge, flooding, route, outage, and alert context.
Use at least one gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation. Store several days of supply and consider up to two weeks at home when space and resources allow, with extra for heat, illness, pets, and medical needs.
CDC guidance recommends replacing water stored in self-filled containers every six months. Keep it cool, sealed, dated, and away from chemicals.
Not necessarily. Boiling kills many germs but does not remove chemical contamination, fuels, metals, salt, or pesticides. Never assume floodwater is drinkable; follow local public-health instructions and use sealed water when chemical contamination is possible.
Only if the product is designed for the specific contaminants involved. Filters vary, and many do not remove viruses or chemicals. Check the label and follow the local water advisory.
A boil-water notice usually addresses microbial risk, while a do-not-drink or do-not-use notice can involve contaminants boiling cannot remove. Follow the exact notice from the local utility or health department.