Drought and Water Shortages: How to Prepare Your Household

Quick answer: Store at least 1 US gallon (about 3.8 litres) of water per person per day for 3 days, building towards 2 weeks, as the US CDC recommends. Learn to live on less now: in 2018, Cape Town asked every resident to use no more than 50 litres a day to avoid “Day Zero”. Fix leaks, reuse grey water for flushing, and follow any boil-water or “do not drink” notice when supply returns.

Drought is slow. It builds over months, so it rarely feels like an emergency until restrictions or supply cuts arrive. Then it can affect drinking, cooking, washing and toilets all at once. This post looks at recent shortages, what the official advice says, and how any household can prepare calmly.

Cape Town’s Day Zero: the best-known example

In early 2018, Cape Town came close to turning off household taps. “Day Zero” was the name for the day the city’s household taps would run dry and normal supply would stop.

From 1 February 2018 the city brought in Level 6B restrictions: 50 litres (about 13 US gallons) per person per day, wherever people were, at home, work or school. On 31 January 2018, the city’s dams were at 26.3%, and the Day Zero date was then forecast for 16 April.

Day Zero never came. The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) says Cape Town more than halved its water use through restrictions, higher tariffs, pressure management and a public dashboard that showed household use and dam levels. Winter rains then refilled the dams. Many residents kept their new habits afterwards: shorter showers, grey water for gardens and rainwater collection.

Recent shortages, 2025–2026

Cape Town is not a one-off. Water shortages have affected very different places recently:

England, 2025. The Environment Agency says England had its driest March to May since 1893, followed by its hottest summer on record. Drought was declared in parts of the north-west in May, Yorkshire in June and the Midlands in July. Four water companies brought in hosepipe bans affecting about 9 million people.
Iran, November 2025. Reuters reported that Tehran, a city of more than 10 million, faced a severe shortage, with its Amir Kabir dam at 8% of capacity. Water pressure was cut at night, falling to zero in some districts.
Puerto Rico, August 2026. The Associated Press reported that more than 180,000 customers in and around San Juan faced rotating cuts of 48 hours without water. July had been San Juan’s driest month in more than 120 years.
England, 2026. By late August, the Environment Agency classed 71% of England by land area as in drought, with ten water companies running hosepipe bans affecting about 30 million people. Reservoir stocks were at 59.8% on 25 August.

The pattern ranges from restrictions on gardens and cars, to low pressure at night, to full rota cuts. Planning for the middle of that range covers most households.

How much water does a person need?

Two figures are worth knowing.

For storage: the CDC recommends at least 1 US gallon (about 3.8 litres) per person per day, for at least 3 days, with a 2-week supply as the goal. Store more for pregnant women, people who are ill, pets and hot climates.
For survival: a World Health Organization technical note puts basic needs at 7.5 to 15 litres per person per day: about 2.5–3 litres to drink, 2–6 litres for basic hygiene and 3–6 litres for cooking. The same note says studies show around 20 litres a day is needed for a minimum level of health and hygiene.

Household	3 days (CDC minimum)	14 days (CDC goal)
1 person	about 11 litres (3 US gal)	about 53 litres (14 US gal)
2 people	about 23 litres (6 US gal)	about 106 litres (28 US gal)
4 people	about 45 litres (12 US gal)	about 212 litres (56 US gal)

Toilets are the hidden cost. The WHO note says a mechanical flush toilet can use up to 7 litres per flush. That is why keeping non-drinking water for flushing matters so much in a shortage.

Storing water safely

The CDC’s advice on storing water at home:

Shop-bought bottled water in its sealed packaging is the safest option. Check the use-by date.
If you fill your own containers, use food-grade containers with tight lids, ideally with a narrow opening. Avoid glass, and never reuse containers that held chemicals such as bleach or pesticides.
Clean them first: wash with soap, rinse, then sanitise with 1 teaspoon of unscented household bleach per quart (just under 1 litre) of water. Shake, empty and let them air-dry.
Label and rotate: write “drinking water” and the date on each container, and replace self-filled water every 6 months.
Store it well: somewhere cool, between 10°C and 21°C (50–70°F), out of direct sunlight and away from fuel or garden chemicals.

Our guide on how much water to store covers containers, space and rotation in more detail.

Saving water before restrictions bite

Small habits add up, and they also stretch your stored water further if the taps go off.

Find leaks. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the average household’s leaks can waste more than 35,000 litres (9,300 US gallons) a year. To test a toilet, put a few drops of food colouring in the cistern; if colour shows in the bowl after 10 minutes, it leaks.
Fix dripping taps. One drip per second can waste more than 11,000 litres (3,000 US gallons) a year, according to the EPA.
Shorten showers. Cape Town residents switched to short, stop-start showers.
Reuse grey water. Collect shower or washing-up water for flushing toilets and watering plants. Never drink it.
Follow local rules. Hosepipe bans and watering days exist to protect supplies for everyone.

Water safety when supply is cut or returns

When water supply is interrupted, your water company or health authority may issue a notice when it comes back. The CDC explains the three main types:

Notice	What it means
Boil water	Bring tap water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above about 2,000 metres) before drinking, cooking or brushing teeth
Do not drink	Use bottled water for drinking and cooking. Boiling will not remove the chemicals involved
Do not use	Use bottled water for everything, including washing

If you have a baby, the CDC advises ready-to-use formula during a boil-water notice where possible. Keep your stored water sealed and separate from any grey water so the two are never confused.

What this means for you, wherever you live

You do not need to live in a dry country to face a water shortage. England, not a country most people think of as dry, had drought in both 2025 and 2026. Burst mains, power cuts and contamination can also stop the tap. Our South Africa power and water outages post covers how rolling cuts work in practice.

A few weeks of steady effort makes a household far more resilient: buy a few bottles each shop, fix the leaks you already know about, and practise a 50-litre day once to see where your water goes. If you are on a tight budget, see stockpiling on a budget.

Your drought and water shortage checklist

At least 3 days of drinking water per person and pet, building to 2 weeks
Food-grade containers, cleaned, labelled and dated
Extra non-drinking water for flushing and washing
Toilet leak test done and dripping taps fixed
A bucket or bowl for collecting grey water
Bottled water or ready-to-use formula for babies
Water company alerts and local restriction notices followed
Household knows the difference between boil-water and do-not-drink notices

See how many days your household would last on the water you have now with the free calculator. During any shortage, follow your water supplier and local authorities.

Sources & further reading

Every fact in this post was checked against the sources listed above on 1 November 2026. Advice changes: always follow your local authorities.