If you have a plan for water at all, it's probably one of these. Here's where each one breaks.
❌ "We have bottled water." That 1 gallon a day is the bare minimum, and it's drinking water only.
The World Health Organization puts survival needs at about 2 to 4 gallons per person, per day once you count cooking and washing.
A 24-pack of bottles is about 3 gallons. For a family of four, that's gone before lunch on day one. And when you need more, so does everyone else.
❌ "We'll just boil it." Boiling needs a stove, fuel and time. Every pot, every time, for every person.
In Texas, millions of those stoves were electric.
And boiling does nothing for the dirt, sediment and microplastics floating in creek water. You just get hot, cloudy water.
❌ "Someone will come help." Maybe. Eventually.
In Texas, in Jackson, Mississippi, and after Hurricane Helene, "eventually" meant days or weeks.
Every one of those plans tries to store enough, or wait it out. That's where they all break.