Emergencies and Sanitation

After a natural disaster, or any other emergency, clean up will begin and people will try to get their lives back to normal.  But there will be one area of concern.....sanitation.   The after effects of a disaster will be more deadly then the actual event because of the sanitation situation.  Contaminated water equals disease! Be prepared with a portable toilet, cleansers, sanitizers, toilet paper, manual washing machine, soaps, towels of all sizes, and of course water!

 September is National Emergency Preparedness Month and it would be a great time to gather sanitation essentials and add them to your storage.  

Cleaning your clothes without electricity will be more time consuming, but see how we did our laundry at our house when the washer was broken.  Click HERE to read that post. 

picture from preparednessnibblesandbits.blogspot.com

Have you thought about the aftermath of no public utilities?  No working toilets?  I don't want to thing too much about that, but we do need to be ready to deal with human waste.  Portable potties, or luggable loos, are a must-have item in everyone's storage.  They are cheap and simple to put together.  Tough garbage bags, kitty litter (to absorb the waste), and a snap on toilet seat are a must in your kit!!  Click HERE to view my post on the portable potty.

One thought I have when my kids are ill is how I am going to help them feel better if there were no modern conveniences, or even modern medicine.  Many people in this day in age still die from diarrhea.  Third world countries are where this is still happening, but in a situation where our sanitation is compromised we will see an increase of people with diarrhea.  Keeping a person, especially a child, hydrated will become very necessary.  Click HERE to see how to make an electrolyte drink from items you probably already have in your storage.    

When sickness does hit, be prepared with all the essentials.  Click HERE to read my post on being prepared for the flu (or any sickness). 

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEM THAT YOU NEED IN YOUR STORAGE, FOR SANITATION, AND IN GENERAL......IS WATER!!!  You will need more water when someone becomes ill and for cleaning in general after a disaster.  Stocking up on Clorox wipes and other cleaning supplies will help tremendously in a situation where there isn't indoor plumbing.  Washcloths and extra towels would also be great to have on hand.

There are many non-food essentials to have in your storage, but hand sanitizers and other cleaners are very important.  You don't want to survive a disaster to then succumb to sickness because of contaminated water.