FEMA floor is 1 gallon per person per day. Kids count as people. What I plan is 2 gallons per adult per day, kids at half, plus nursing and pets. Climate and activity raise the FEMA kernel. The plan is the larger of that kernel and the 2-gal comfort rate. Shopping list uses the plan.
Never add FEMA and the plan. Never stack climate on top of 2 gallons. Apartment with no garage: drums drop off and stackable jugs stay.
FEMA's floor is 1 gallon per person per day. I plan 2 gallons when I can — drinking, cooking, and a little hygiene. Multiply by household size and days. Pets count.
72 hours is the official minimum. Build to two weeks, then 30 days. Rotation matters more than a garage full of forgotten jugs.
Food-grade stacked cubes or 5–7 gallon jugs for apartments. 55-gallon drums only if you have a cool, dark place and a way to move them. Do not reuse milk jugs long-term.
Yes. Stored water covers the first days. A Sawyer-style filter or gravity system covers a boil-water notice, a well problem, or a longer outage.