Just an update. Reading various news sources, including actual eyewitness comments on the BBC website, sounds like the residents of Harbin are taking this chemical disaster in stride. No panic, no riots. Life seems pretty normal. However, it may last longer than originally planned. This article said that the water was turned off on Tuesday and that plans to resume water service on Saturday would have to be postponed, but it might be turned back on by Monday. Might?

Anheuser-Busch has a brewery in Harbin and gets its water from wells, so it's providing water to residents.

And in other news, yet another Chinese chemical factory exploded, releasing toxic benzene into the Yangtse and forcing the evacuation of thousands in that area. And the Russians are mad as heck about the first spill since the Chinese waited 11 days to announce the spill and the slick is headed towards their border now. They declared a state of emergency in the affected area. Sheesh, 11 days? So how many people already drank the water before the announcement? Sad.

Anyway, events like this, and particularly Katrina, make me think that 72-hours is definitely a bare minimum supply of water. A week sounds like a more prudent goal.