"I wish I could understand this urgency of buying bottled water."

I think bottled water is pretty much a way of life in Houston since the tap water tastes pretty bad.

Houston's not had a boil water order in several years, but with a category 5 storm it wouldn't be too hard to imagine our water supply compromised since most of the Houston area's water supply is surface water. We can't do well water any more due to subsidence issues. Suck the water out of the ground and your land sinks. Kinda like N'awlins.

Manufactured bottled water is a known quantity - you don't have to wonder about whether you need to boil it or not. It is easy to store so you just stash it and forget it. People will still fill their bathtubs and every other available container with tap water for hygiene and toilet flushing purposes.

I guess everyone just expects that there will be an extended interruption in our water supply.