Water Storage During Hurricane Season

By More Food

November marks the start of the fall season with colder temperatures and exciting holidays on the horizon. However, it is also still a part of hurricane season. While the most active months are August through October, storms can continue into November, so it’s important to stay prepared.

Preparing for events like hurricanes is extremely important, but most people don’t realize that knowing  how to store your food is essential in case of power outages. One thing that’s easy to forget during storm prep is water. Our bodies are composed of 60% water and we lose it throughout the day by evaporation from the skin, going to the bathroom, and just by breathing. As a result, we need to drink water to replace those losses.

During natural disasters, having  access to clean and safe water can be lifesaving. Avoid flood water, as it may contain sewage and contaminants. According to the CDC, eating or drinking anything that has been in contact with flood water can lead to serious health problems, including gastrointestinal illness and reproductive issues.

For floods and other emergency situations, it is a good idea to buy and keep bottled water on hand. If you are a SNAP/FNS recipient, you can use your benefits to purchase bottled water at different stores or online.

Here we are  some tips to help ensure your water’s availability for emergency situations:

  • Check expiration dates before storing bottled water for long periods
  • Rotate your stock to use the water with the closest expiration date first
  • Add water to separate containers and label large containers to distinguish between  “drinking water” and water for hygiene
  • Avoid areas of direct sunlight when storing water
  • Avoid areas with contaminants such as gasoline and pesticides
  • Keep water stored in a place with a fairly constant cool temperature (CDC-c)

Water is just as important to our bodies as food, so take the time now to plan ahead and prepare for potential power outages in your area.

And speaking of food, don’t forget that to help you keep your pantry stocked for emergency situations, you can apply for the SNAP program in North Carolina. SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and is commonly known as food stamps.

For questions about SNAP or to get help with applying, contact the More In My Basket staff:

Visit: morefood.org

English Toll Free: 1-855-240-1451

Spanish Toll Free: 1-888-382-7105

Sources:

NHC & NOAA. n.d. “Tropical Cyclone Climatology.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Accessed September 10, 2025. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/.


CDC. 2025. “How to Create an Emergency Water Supply.” CDC.gov. Accessed September 10, 2025.https://www.cdc.gov/water-emergency/about/how-to-create-and-store-an-emergency-water-supply.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/creating-storing-emergency-water-supply.html.

Photo by Ikhsan Sugiarto on Unsplash