FEMA Is Being Eliminated. Your City Is on Its Own.

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Someone asked me a really good question. She lives in a 650-square-foot apartment in Chicago. Her question: "Where am I supposed to put 14 gallons of water?" Fair point. Not everyone has a basement. This week is for the people making it work in small spaces.

Here's what I've got this week.

Water Storage When You Don't Have a Basement

We covered home water storage in Issue 3, but that guide assumed you had floor space and maybe a garage. A lot of readers don't. Apartments, condos, and small homes require a different approach. The good news: the fundamentals don't change. You still need one gallon per person per day for drinking and basic hygiene. You just need smarter containers and creative placement.

Start with what's already in your apartment. Your water heater (if you have one) holds 30 to 50 gallons of drinkable water. Your bathtub holds 40 to 80 gallons if you fill it when a disruption is imminent. A WaterBOB is a $35 bladder that sits in your tub and keeps that water clean and accessible instead of open to dust and contamination.

For stored water, think flat and stackable. Seven-gallon Aqua-Tainers are the standard for a reason, but they take floor space. In a small apartment, consider water bricks, flat rectangular containers that hold 3.5 gallons each and stack like blocks. They fit under beds, in closets, and on shelves. Four of them give you 14 gallons, enough for one person for two weeks, and they tuck behind a couch or stack in a closet corner.

Commercially bottled water is the simplest option. Cases of 16-ounce bottles store anywhere: under beds, in closets, behind furniture. They're sealed, safe for years, and easy to rotate since you can just drink them and replace. Four cases give one person roughly a week of water.

Don't overlook vertical space. Shelving units in closets, above washers/dryers, or in pantries can hold water containers without sacrificing living space. A sturdy shelf rated for the weight (water is about 8.3 pounds per gallon) keeps your floor clear.

If you're in a high-rise, understand that your water supply depends on electric pumps. When the power goes out, water pressure drops within hours. Upper floors lose it first. This makes stored water even more critical for apartment dwellers than for people with well or ground-level municipal connections.

Slide one case of bottled water under your bed.

That's roughly two gallons. Enough for two days of drinking water for one person. It takes up dead space you weren't using. Costs about $5. You're now more prepared than most of your building.

6.75 Billion Gallons of Treated Drinking Water Leaks from US Pipes Every Day

America's aging water infrastructure loses an estimated 6.75 billion gallons of treated drinking water daily through deteriorating mains and distribution pipes — water that has already been pumped, filtered, and disinfected. The EPA has estimated the nation's water infrastructure funding gap at $625 billion over 20 years. In the meantime, water main breaks, boil advisories, and unexpected service outages continue to affect communities of all sizes. This week alone, boil water advisories were issued in Rotterdam NY, Waynesboro VA, and parts of New Jersey following main breaks.

Source: ASCE Infrastructure Report Card, Smart Cities Dive

Creek Stewart, founder of Willow Haven Outdoor, wrote Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag with a specific section on water storage in constrained environments. His principle is that any container that's food-safe, sealable, and fits your space is a valid water storage option. He's used cleaned soda bottles, juice containers, and even collapsible water carriers that flatten when empty.

Stewart's key advice for apartment dwellers: stop thinking about water storage as a single large solution and start thinking about it as distributed capacity. A few bottles in the closet, a case under the bed, a WaterBOB in the bathroom, and a filter in your go-bag. Individually they're small. Together they add up to real security without dominating your living space.

Build the Perfect Bug Out BagSurvival Kit by Creek Stewart

FEMA Elimination Confirmed — States Will Be on Their Own

The Homeland Security Secretary confirmed plans to eliminate FEMA entirely, shifting disaster response responsibility to state and local governments. No timeline has been announced, but the move ends over 45 years of federal emergency coordination that began after Hurricane David in 1979. State emergency management agencies vary significantly in funding and capacity — a handful are well-resourced, most are not.

For preparedness purposes, FEMA's Individual Assistance program has historically been the backstop for displaced households after major disasters, although it had become less reliable over time. The problems came to a head during the previous administration, where millions in FEMA designated funds were sent to pro immigration causes and not to states hit my major disasters like Hawaii and North Carolina who received slow aid and very little in the way of funds that were rightfully theirs through the FEMA program.

Source: ZeroHedge

WaterBOB Emergency Bathtub Water Storage

The WaterBOB is a 100-gallon bladder that sits in your bathtub. When you know a disruption is coming (storm warning, boil notice, planned maintenance), you lay it in the tub, attach the fill hose to the faucet, and fill it. It keeps water clean, covered, and dispensable through a built-in spigot.

I tested mine during a planned water main shutdown. Filled it in about 20 minutes. The water stayed clean and odor-free for the three days I kept it filled. The dispenser is gravity-fed and easy to use.

The catch: it's a one-use product. Each bladder is designed for a single fill. After you drain it, it's done. For $35, that's 100 gallons of clean water in a crisis. Considering that you can't use your tub for anything else during that time anyway, the tradeoff is reasonable. About $35.

Budget alternative: Just fill your bathtub. It works. The water isn't covered, so use it within a day or two for washing, and drink your stored bottled water first. Free.

WaterBOB Emergency Bathtub Water Storage

Overrated: 55-gallon water drums for apartments. They weigh 460 pounds full, they're impossible to move, and they don't fit through most apartment doors. Great for houses with basements. Impractical for small spaces.

Underrated: Collapsible water containers. They store flat when empty and expand to hold 2 to 7 gallons when needed. Keep two or three in a closet. If a boil advisory or water shutdown hits, fill them immediately from the tap.

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ThePrepared.com: Water Storage Guide — Comprehensive guide covering all living situations.

CDC: Emergency Water Storage — Government guidelines on safe container types and treatment.

WaterBricks.org — Stackable, space-efficient water storage containers.

Drought.gov — Current US drought conditions and outlooks.

Grokipedia: Water Storage — Background on home water storage methods and history.

Mesh networks and off-grid communication. When cell towers go down, there are still ways to send messages, share locations, and coordinate with your family. The tech is better and cheaper than you'd think.

PS: The woman in Chicago? She now has water bricks under her bed, a WaterBOB in the hall closet, and a Sawyer Squeeze in her bag. She's better prepared than most homeowners I know. Space isn't the limiting factor. Creativity is.