1. Water
Water is your most important survival need, more important than food. A safe—but minimum—rule of thumb is one gallon per person per day. (4 people for 2 weeks = 4 x 2 x 14 = 112 gallons of water.) Multiply this by 3 if you live in a hot, dry climate. You need water for hygiene and cleaning, too. If you buy plastic water containers, do not store them on concrete that heats up as this could cause a harmful chemical reaction. (If kept in a garage attached to a driveway that gets hot, place your water on wood.) You can safely store tap water in reused water or juice bottles. Just make sure the bottles are sealed and are rated “PET” or “PETE.” If stored water tastes bad, oxidize it by pouring it from one container to another a few times. Also keep a small supply of bottles you can carry in case you have to hit the road running.