Tab 1: When the water stops

TAB 1 Finton Field Manual

Do this first

Store at least one gallon per person per day for several days (FEMA).
When an outage looks likely, fill the bathtub and every clean container while the taps still run.
Treat any water you are unsure of: let it settle or strain it, then boil 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet), or add 8 drops of plain bleach per gallon and wait 30 minutes (CDC).
Collect rain off the roof, but divert the first flush, cover and screen the barrel, and filter and disinfect before drinking (Texas rainwater manual).
Ration sweat, not water. Work in the cool hours and drink what you need (Army survival manual).

City water fails about a day after the power. Fill jugs at the tap (+10 gal) and the bathtub (+30 gal) from the pantry while you can.
Ask your spouse to treat water. They treat the bathtub upstairs, empty the rain barrel out back, or boil stored creek water at the stove.
Untreated creek or rain water can make you sick. Keep a filter, tablets or firewood to boil with.
A rain barrel plus a filter or 10+ tablets completes the WATER need on its own.

1 inch of rain on 1,000 sq ft of roof: about 620 gallons in theory; plan on 75 to 90% of that.
Divert at least 10 gallons of first flush per 1,000 sq ft of roof.
An adult needs 2 to 3 liters a day at rest, much more in heat or hard work.

General information for preparedness. Follow official guidance and your local emergency managers, and call 911 in an emergency.