Emergency food and water calculator
Quick answer: store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day, about half for drinking and half for cooking and washing. Two adults need 6 gallons for 72 hours and 28 gallons for two weeks. (Ready.gov (FEMA); FEMA and the American Red Cross)
Your plan for 3 days (72 hours)
2 people
Water
| Drinking | 3 gal |
|---|---|
| Cooking and hygiene | 3 gal |
| Total to store | 6 gal |
Food
| Calories per day | 4,000 |
|---|---|
| Calories for the plan | 12,000 |
Shopping list
- Water: 6 one-gallon jugs, or 2 cases of 24 bottles (16.9 oz each)
- Food: 12,000 calories, about 60 servings at 200 calories each. Check calories and servings per container on each label.
- A manual can opener and unscented household bleach for treating water
Rotation
Replace water you bottle yourself every 6 months. Keep store-bought water sealed and use it by the date on the label. For food, put new items at the back and use the oldest first. Powdered milk in boxes, dried fruit, and crackers last about six months; most canned foods, cereal, and peanut butter about a year; white rice, dry pasta, salt, and wheat much longer in sealed containers. (FEMA and the American Red Cross; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
For shutoffs, contacts, medications, and what to do when the power goes out, print the free 72-hour household plan. To add medical devices, the fridge and freezer, and heat or cooling, use the power outage planner. To see how long a battery power station runs them, use the power station runtime calculator.
How the numbers work
- Each person gets 1 gallon of water per day for drinking and sanitation. (Ready.gov (FEMA); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; FEMA and the American Red Cross) About 0.5 gallon of that is drinking water (two quarts) and the rest covers cooking and washing. (FEMA and the American Red Cross)
- Hot weather doubles the drinking share, since water needs can double in very hot temperatures. (Ready.gov (FEMA); FEMA and the American Red Cross)
- Medical needs add one more drinking share per day for the household. The sources say nursing mothers and sick people may need more water but give no amount, so the calculator uses the same doubling as hot weather. (Ready.gov (FEMA); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; FEMA and the American Red Cross)
- Adults are planned at 2,000 calories a day, the general guide on food labels. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration; USDA and HHS) Younger people use the USDA estimate for a moderately active child in the middle of each age band, with boys and girls averaged: teens 14 to 18 at 2,400, ages 9 to 13 at 1,900, ages 4 to 8 at 1,500, and ages 1 to 3 at 1,000. (USDA and HHS) A teenage boy who plays sports can need 3,000 or more, so round up for an active teen. Infants are counted for water and listed on their own for food.
- Dogs get about 1 fluid ounce of water per pound each day (Hill's Pet Nutrition (veterinarian reviewed)), and cats about 4 ounces per 5 pounds. (Cornell Feline Health Center) Pet sizes on the form are rough presets.
- Ready.gov and the Red Cross say to drink what you need each day and look for more, so the plan never rations water. (Ready.gov (FEMA); FEMA and the American Red Cross)
Every source, the exact rule it supports, and the date it was checked are on the sources page.