Water

Store one gallon of water (two quarts for drinking, and two quarts for food preparation/sanitation) per person per day with a minimum three-day supply.

• A normally active person needs to drink at least two quarts of water each day. Hot environments & intense physical activity can double that amount. Children, nursing mothers & ill people will need more water.
• Keep at least a three-day supply of water for each person in your household. If using powdered milk, store extra water.
• If you have questions about the quality of the water, purify it before drinking. You can heat water to a rolling boil for ten minutes or use commercial purification tablets to purify the water. You can also use household liquid chlorine bleach if it is pure, unscented 5.25% sodium hypochlorite. After adding bleach, shake or stir the water container and let stand for thirty minutes before drinking.

Food

Store at least a three to five day supply of non-perishable food. Select food that requires no refrigeration, preparation, or cooking that contains little or no water. Select food that is compact & lightweight. Consider packing a heat source for hot food.

• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, & vegetables
• Canned juices, milk, & soup
• Staples such as sugar, salt and pepper
• High energy foods like peanut butter, granola bars, & trail mix
• Vitamins
• Food for infants, elderly persons or persons with special diets
• Comfort and stress food like cookies, sweetened cereals, lollipops, instant coffee, & tea bags