Empty shelves typically stocked with water are cropping up on many Floridians’ social media feeds. But one state official says the run on water is more panic than real peril.
Florida retailers are having trouble keeping up with demand for necessities like water. But Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says that shouldn’t be a problem so long as people plan ahead.
“We fill our bathtubs to meet our toilet needs,” Putnam says, “we can fill thermoses and iced tea jugs and everything else with tap water.”
“There’s no municipality in the state that I’m aware of that has lost water service,” he goes on, “so we have the ability fill other types of containers to meet families’ basic needs.”
The rule of thumb is to set aside one gallon of water per person per day. Ahead of a storm, state officials usually recommend preparing for at least three days.
