How To Prepare Water For The Cascadia Quake

By John Rosman

Published September 1, 2016 at 6:40 AM PDT

When the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake strikes, everyday life in the Pacific Northwest will change dramatically. Oregon's infrastructure is woefully out of date for the event.

It will take a while for supplies to trickle in to those affected. Experts say it could take two weeks. That means you should have your own supply of water ready.

Last year, OPB kicked off the #14Gallons challenge. The initiative sought to raise awareness about how much water a single person needs to be prepared for the earthquake. The Red Cross recommends 1 gallon of water per person per day. That means you need 14 gallons of water per person.

One of the big questions we received was: How do you store all this water? The answer is simple and a little complicated — wherever you can.

Buying that much water (56 gallons for a four-person household) gets expensive. It's possible to save money by storing tap water. But you need to be careful. Our partners at Regional Water Providers Consortium made a video showing safe practices bottling water from the tap.

There's also a few hidden sources of clean water in your home. When the earthquake strikes, after turning off your main gas line, here are some places to look to secure water.

Storing and preparing that much water is complicated. Here's a helpful website that should answer most questions. But if you have one that's unaddressed, feel free to reach out at anytime: webstaff@opb.org.

<p>14 Gallons of water.</p> — 14 Gallons of water.

<p>OPB digital producer Jason Bernert admires the 14 gallons of water he collected to prepare for a possible large earthquake.</p> — OPB digital producer Jason Bernert admires the 14 gallons of water he collected to prepare for a possible large earthquake.

<p>OPB production resource manager Lisa Miyamoto stands 14 gallons of water, collected as an earthquake preparedness exercise.</p> — OPB production resource manager Lisa Miyamoto stands 14 gallons of water, collected as an earthquake preparedness exercise.

<p>Digital producer Ann McGarry holds her 15 gallons of water like a true preparation champion.</p> — Digital producer Ann McGarry holds her 15 gallons of water like a true preparation champion.

<p>Digital service product owner Tolu Adedipe keeps his eye on making sure his 14 gallons of water are properly secured, up-to-date and stored.</p> — Digital service product owner Tolu Adedipe keeps his eye on making sure his 14 gallons of water are properly secured, up-to-date and stored.

<p>15 gallons of water.</p> — 15 gallons of water.

<p>News reporter Amelia Templeton carries her 15 gallons of water with intrepid strength and care.</p> — News reporter Amelia Templeton carries her 15 gallons of water with intrepid strength and care.

<p>OPB's Randy Layton and Katrina Sarson treat their 14 gallons of water with care, baby like care.</p> — OPB's Randy Layton and Katrina Sarson treat their 14 gallons of water with care, baby like care.

<p>OPB digital producer Dave Stuckey has his 14 gallons so the sneaking earthquake doesn't catch him unprepared.</p> — OPB digital producer Dave Stuckey has his 14 gallons so the sneaking earthquake doesn't catch him unprepared.

<p>Digital producer John Rosman sees the lack of water in Oregonians' preparation kits as a big elephant in the room.</p> — Digital producer John Rosman sees the lack of water in Oregonians' preparation kits as a big elephant in the room.