More Americans are starting to stock up on long-term food storage items, ammunition, and precious metals. This makes perfect sense considering the trajectory of the nation under the Biden regime combined with all of the turmoil that is erupting across the globe. Food shortages are coming, which means society may be on the verge of collapse in the United States in a matter of year, perhaps even months.

Perhaps even sooner.

But there’s one important factor that far too few people are considering. One of the reasons I started The Late Prepper was to not only help others but to help myself and my family. The things I am forced to learn while operating The Late Prepper can be invaluable; I often learn much more from the community over there than I read in articles or watch in videos.

The factor that seems to be missing in many preparation plans, especially for those of us who are new to prepping, is what to do if the water runs dry. We are a society dependent on water infrastructure. When the water gets shut off, even for a short time, people tend to have no proper plan. It’s the most vital component to survival in this life since we can die after 72 hours without water. Yet it seems like far too many people (including me) are dependent on the faucet continuing to spout forth water or the grocery stores having plenty on hand.

This is the problem that I believe will drive the most people to turn to government assistance like they did in the aftermath of Katrina. If water infrastructure breaks down, most people do not have a plan.

Now’s the time to make one. On the latest episode of The Late Prepper, I clumsily tried to describe in 17 minutes how to secure water and why it’s important. It’s not me best show, not by a longshot, but I like to do things live so we’re sticking with it. Hopefully there are some nuggets of usable information in there. If anything, hopefully I portrayed why it’s so important to be ready for whatever is to come.

First and foremost, we need to be able to filter our water. Many use Berkey, but as I noted in a recent article and podcast, I chose Alexapure. Either works, and there are likely others that are nearly as good. Having a proper water filter expands your potential sources for water should the crap hit the fan. If you can get plenty of water from rain, streams, rivers, lakes, or ponds, then you’re in better shape than most. All you need is a water filter and a decent amount of stored water and you’re good to go.

For those of us who do not have a sufficient nearby supply, that means we have to store it. Considering humans need somewhere between one and two gallons of water per day, that means a lot of storage space. The containers to hold the water are not necessarily cheap. I keep about 350 16-oz bottles of water on hand for immediate needs. Beyond that, I’ve been getting collapsible 5-gallon containers since the stackable hard-plastic ones ones are so expensive. I also got a WaterBOB even though one of our sponsors sells one as well. The WaterBOB is bigger – no brainer there.

Those who can afford the price and space for much larger water storage should definitely get that now. A common size is 300 gallons, and while that sounds like plenty it would actually only last one or two months for a family of four.

The bottom line is this: Make a plan for what you will do if water infrastructure goes down. If you can’t get water from the faucet and the stores are empty or inaccessible, there are only three options:

1. Make a plan that combines storage, filtering, and acquisition of water without standard infrastructure available
2. Become beholden to government
3. Not survive long

I’m being blunt about the options because water is THAT important. Don’t wait. Get your plan together. When you’re done, start looking for backup options. Without water, you’re done.