Tools

How much water and food does your household actually need?

Built on FEMA/ready.gov guidance: one gallon of water per person per day, a three-day minimum for evacuation, and two weeks recommended at home. Describe your household — including how it actually eats — and get your numbers, not the average family’s.

Your household

People

Adults & teens~2,000 calories/day each

Children under 12~1,500 calories/day each

Pregnant, nursing, or medically fragileof the people above — adds ½ gal/day each

Pets

Cats & small dogsunder ~20 lb

Medium dogs~20–60 lb

Large dogsover ~60 lb

How long a supply?

Dietary needs

We swap in shelf-stable substitutes and rebalance the calorie split — the totals stay the same. Vegan also applies vegetarian and dairy-free.

Climate

Hot climate or summer planningready.gov notes needs can double in very hot temperatures — we add 50% as a planning midpoint.

Your numbers

gallons of water total

56,000

total calories of food

Water, translated to containers

Cases of 24×16.9 oz bottled water9 cases
5-gallon stackable jugs6 jugs

Food, translated to a shopping list

Rice (26%)10 lb
Cooking oil (16%)2 L
Canned beans & lentils (12%)20 cans
Pasta (10%)4 lb
Rolled oats (10%)4 lb
Canned fish & chicken (8%)23 cans
Peanut butter (8%)2 jars
Shelf-stable milk (6%)6 boxes
Mixed nuts & trail mix (4%)1 lb

Plus what you already eat: spices, coffee or tea, comfort foods — and a month of any daily medication, which pharmacists can usually fill as a 90-day script.

Now the gear that holds it: our tiered picks for water storage, water filters (a filter stretches stored water further), and long-shelf-life food.

Where these numbers come from: Ready.gov recommends one gallon per person per day (half for drinking, half for sanitation), a minimum three-day supply for evacuation and two weeks at home, and notes needs can double in very hot climates. Calorie planning figures (~2,000/adult, ~1,500/child) follow FDA/USDA daily reference values. Pet figures use the common veterinary planning rule of ~1 oz of water per pound of body weight per day. Dietary substitutions keep the calorie total identical and swap in shelf-stable equivalents. These are planning floors, not medical advice — people who are pregnant, nursing, or ill need more.