One of the most important things you can store is water. The water system can easily become contaminated in an emergency situation. The water system is fragile and can be contaminated in a non-emergency situation as well. Today my town of about 100,000 was informed that our water is no longer safe to drink without boiling it first. Here is a list of other considerations to take into account for a water emergency.
1) When you do decide to boil water instead of buying bottled water to drink you will need to make sure that you do not cross contaminate the drinking water by using other dishes that have held the contaminated water.
2) In our case, it has been recommended that infants, children, and those with weakened immune systems not use the water to bath with. The town says that the water is safe for hand washing, but to avoid contact with the mouth, nose, and eyes. For children even with hand washing this is virtually impossible. You may want to purchase hand sanitizer and have it on available for such a time.
3) It is not safe to wash your dishes, or fruits and vegetables with this water. You can boil the water and then wash the dishes. I am not a big fan of paper plates because I do not believe that they are environmentally friendly, but this is one time when I am very willing to make an exception. You may want to have several days supply of paper products on hand.
4) Any water that you use for food preparation needs to be boiled before you use it. For ease and simplicity I will be visiting the frozen food section and purchasing dinners for the next two days. You may want to have these on hands. Eating out is not an option as all restaurants in the area have been closed until further notice.
5) As soon as you become aware of the need to boil your water, let your friends, family and neighbors know. They may not be watching the news, and it is better to save them the hassle of becoming sick if you can.
Just a reminder the recommended amount is one gallon per day per person. It is recommended that you store a two-week supply of water. If you have pets you will want to store extra water for them.