Hurricane season 2026: your water prep checklist
Hurricane season opened June 1, 2026. The Atlantic basin is running warm, and even a below-average season produces storms capable of disrupting water service for days to weeks. Water is consistently the first supply to run out in affected areas — and the one that matters most. The checklist below covers what Gulf and Atlantic coast households should have in place before a storm enters the Gulf.
Why water is the acute problem
Municipal water systems fail during hurricanes for two distinct reasons. Storm surge and flooding contaminate groundwater and distribution infrastructure — triggering boil water advisories that can persist for weeks. Power outages knock out pumping stations, which means treated water cannot be moved through distribution pipes to households regardless of whether the source water is clean.
Bottled water sells out at retail within hours of a named storm entering the Gulf or getting within five days of a coastline. Households that wait until a watch is issued to think about water are already late. The preparation window is now — not the 72 hours before landfall.
A two-week water supply, a portable filter, and a WaterBOB in the hall closet changes the storm experience from a scramble to a managed situation. None of these require more than a few hours and a modest budget to put in place.
The water prep checklist
Two weeks of stored water — calculated for your household
People × 1.5 gallons × 14 days. Add 0.5 gallons per pet per day. Fill food-grade HDPE containers from the tap now, before a storm is named. Two Reliance Aqua-Tainers ($30 to $40) cover one adult at minimum rations.
A WaterBOB in the hall closet
The WaterBOB is a 100-gallon food-grade liner for a standard bathtub. Costs $30 to $40 and stores flat. When a storm is forecast, fill the tub through the WaterBOB's faucet attachment and have 100 gallons of clean tap water sealed before service disruption. Buy one before storm season is active — they sell out.
A portable water filter
A Sawyer Squeeze ($35 to $45) filters 100,000 gallons and weighs 3 ounces. If your stored water runs low, a filter extends access to rain catchment, pool water, and standing water with biological treatment. Keep one in the preparedness kit and know how to use it before you need it.
Purification tablets as backup
Potable Aqua iodine tablets or Aquamira chlorine dioxide tablets cover situations where filtering alone may not be sufficient — heavily contaminated water sources or when a filter is unavailable. A $8 to $12 pack covers 50 to 60 quarts and keeps indefinitely in a sealed kit.
Know your boil water advisory protocol
After a major storm, a boil water advisory is likely. Know the procedure before it is issued: rolling boil for one minute, use boiled or bottled water for drinking, cooking, and brushing teeth, replace any ice made during the advisory period, flush refrigerator water dispensers and ice makers. Details in the next field note.
What to do when a watch is issued
When a watch or warning is issued for your area, your water preparation should already be complete. The storm window is the time to deploy what you have, not to acquire it. Specifically: fill your WaterBOB immediately when a watch is issued — do not wait for a warning. Fill any empty storage containers from the tap while service is still on. Set aside a dedicated supply for pets and medication needs.
The broader storm checklist — food, documents, medications, communications — lives on the water hub and the preparedness domain pages. Water is the first physical priority; everything else builds from it.
What to do right now
- 1 Run your household water math today. People × 1.5 gallons × 14 days. If you do not have that volume stored, get containers this week.
- 2 Order a WaterBOB before peak season. Mid-July through October is when they sell out. A $35 purchase now is available; the same purchase during a named storm watch may not be.
- 3 Confirm you have a portable filter. A Sawyer Squeeze takes up less space than a paperback book and lasts a lifetime. Keep it with your emergency supplies, not in storage.
- 4 Bookmark the NWS Water Hub. When a watch is issued, the full checklist — including boil water protocols, filter use, and post-storm water safety — is there.
On the shelf
WaterBOB 100-Gallon Emergency Water Storage
A food-grade liner that turns a standard bathtub into a 100-gallon sealed water container in under an hour. Stores flat in the box at $30 to $40. One-use, filled immediately before or after a storm warning. Buy before hurricane season peaks — they sell out in storm corridors.
View on Amazon →Go deeper
Full guidance on NWS:
Related field notes
Sources
- FEMA: Ready.gov — Water Storage
- CDC: Emergency Water Supply Planning
- NOAA: 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook