Why do people fill their bathtubs with water before a hurricane?

(NEXSTAR) — If you live or have lived in a hurricane-prone area, filling your bathtub with water before a storm may just be second nature. For those outside the paths of last month's Hurricane Helene and this week's Hurricane Milton, the preparation step has left some scratching their heads.

If your first guess is for drinking water, you're a little off the mark. Those who are not evacuating and are staying in their homes should have extra drinking water at the ready, though.

Bathtub water is, instead, for other bathroom-related purposes, like bathing and flushing the toilet — the latter of which could be crucial if you lose running water. It can also be used to clean surfaces and items.

Before a storm comes, experts recommend making sure your bathtub can still hold water, which may require going out to get a tub stopper. You'll want to act fast, as those items often sell quickly.

If you're preparing for a hurricane and don't have a bathtub, you can fill other vessels — like buckets or plastic storage bins — with water for bathing, flushing the toilet, and cleaning.

These steps are for those who are not evacuating. If you plan to evacuate and come back after the storm has passed, you don't need to fill your bathtub with water.

If you are in an evacuation zone for Hurricane Milton, it's highly recommended that you do evacuate.

Milton poses a threat to the region that nobody has likely ever seen in their lifetime. The guidance is still the same, according to Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor: hide from wind and run from water. While speaking with CNN on Monday, she urged those in evacuation zones to get out or face dire consequences.

“Helene was a wake-up call, this is literally catastrophic and I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die,” Castor warned.