A common rule of thumb is around 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, plus extra for cooking and basic hygiene. For three days that's at least 9 litres per person just to drink — more in hot weather, for children, or if anyone is ill or breastfeeding.
Quick table
| Household | Drinking water for 3 days |
|---|---|
| 1 person | 9 litres |
| 2 people | 18 litres |
| Family of 4 | 36 litres |
Don't forget pets: dogs need roughly 50ml per kg of body weight per day.
How to store it
- Buy sealed bottled water and check the best-before date.
- Store somewhere cool and dark, away from chemicals.
- Rotate it: use it and replace it every year or so.
- A collapsible water carrier is handy for collecting water from bottle stations.
See the full water outage kit.