Sanitation

Reasons for loss of water
•    Power failure – no electricity, no pumps, no water
•    Severe winter weather – pipes freeze
•    Floods – contaminated water
•    Earthquake- pipes break
•    Social unrest – rioters break fire hydrants so city officials turn off water
•    Terrorism – contaminated water

Hygiene is important
•    Poor hygiene can cause disease and death
•    Parasites, pathogens can travel a great distance by themselves)
•    Some diseases caused by poor hygiene are cholera, diarrhea, hepatitis

Can’t I just dig a hole?
•    It’s a health hazard – your house could be red-tagged and you could be forced to leave
•    In most cases you cannot get a safe distance from a dwelling place or water source
•    Human waste has to be treated (with ash or sawdust or chemicals)


 
Where do you go when you have to go, but you have no place to go?

If the cause is lack of incoming water:
•    Pour water into the toilet bowl (just enough to flush, ½ to 1 gallon and be sure to use non-drinking water)
•    “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.”

If the cause is bad pipes (either broken or frozen) or concern over sewage backup:
•    Empty water from toilet bowl and line with a 13 gallon trash bag.   When the bag is full, tie and store or bury (you typically have 3 –4 months before the bag will start to deteriorate).
•    Use a chemical toilet such as an RV toilet (priced up to $150), or a homemade version.
Always keep plenty of hand sanitizer near by to keep from using precious water.

What to do with trash
Garbage = “Bio-mass” – Food scraps
•    Compost pile
•    Feed pets

Trash = non-degradable
•    Reuse what you can.  Most trash items are packaging that has never touched food.  Come up with creative ways to reuse it such as writing notes, insulation, fire starter, toilet paper, etc.


Personal Hygiene
•    Shower less and “sponge bath” in between
•    Wet wipes
•    Reuse gray water or canned goods to flush

Grab and Go Kit (or 72-hr kit)

Situations when a Grab and Go kit would be needed
•    A tornado warning – grab and go on your way to the basement safe room, or store in your safe room
•    Flood – grab and go on your way to safe and dry ground
•    Evacuation – grab and go
•    Day trip – grab and go – you have all the necessities with you (which will save you time and money).
•    As you see on TV or read about disaster/emergency situations imagine that it was happening to you.  Would you be prepared?

Creating a Grab and Go Kit
•    Your Grab and Go kit should be easy to carry
•    Each person in your family should have their own (within reason)
•    Make your kit your own.  The following check list is just a suggestion to use as a guide, not a hard and fast rule.
•    Think Good, Better, Best
•    Assume that if you have to evacuate, everything will be gone when you get back.


Emergency Binder (Important Documents)
•    Birth certificates
•    Passports
•    Social security cards
•    Copies of your credit cards, front and back
•    Homeowners insurance policy
•    Auto insurance policy
•    Life insurance policy
•    Bank statements
•    Retirement statements
•    Internet passwords
•    Immunization records
•    Utility statements
•    Work/tax documents that would be difficult to replace
•    CASH – keep a variety of small bills on hand

Emergency Contact Information
•    Each person should have all emergency contact information in their Grab and Go bags.

GRAB AND GO KIT Check List

(72 Hour Kit)

•    At least 3 days supply of water (one gallon per person per day)
•    At least 3 days supply of food
•    First aid kit
•    Change of clothes, warm socks, and sturdy shoes (change this seasonally)
•    Battery powered radio and extra batteries (Batteries should be stored separately or backwards to prevent corrosion)
•    Blankets or sleeping bags
•    Rain poncho
•    Hand warmers
•    Flashlight with batteries
•    Glow sticks (for light and/or signaling)
•    Wind/waterproof matches and a candle (or other waterproof fire starting device)
•    Personal hygiene products (soap, tooth care, toilet paper)
•    Whistle
•    Knife
•    Wet wipes and hand sanitizer
•    Leather gloves (work gloves) and hat (seasonal item)
•    Water purification method
•    Small cook stove and fuel
•    Mess kit and hand operated can opener
•    Map and Compass
•    Form of Shelter (tent, tarp, etc.) and at least 15’ of cord
•    2 – 30 gallon garbage bags
•    Safety pins and sewing kit
•    Pens and notebook
•    Duct tape
•    Games, books, hard candy, toys (some form of entertainment, you may be in an otherwise boring situation for some time)
•    Money in small bills and coins ($50 - $100 +) (Are you going to be staying in a hotel?  What might you need money for?  Will anyone be accepting credit cards?)
•    Emergency Binder
Consider your own unique needs and the needs of your family.  Do you need to include:
•    Prescription medications (rotate periodically to avoid expiration)
•    Extra pair of glasses
•    A special kit for baby


Baby's Grab and Go Kit
o    Diapers (disposable for 3-5 days and a couple of cloth for extended emergencies)
o    Wipes
o    Lotion and diaper rash ointment
o    Garbage bags for soiled diapers
o    Blanket and clothing
o    Formula (even if baby is breastfed, what if Mom is not there?)
o    Bottles
o    Food and juices
o    Spoons
o    Medications (Tylenol, Ibuprofen, etc.)
o    Toys
o    Baby carrier (If you have to walk)

Emergency Car Kit

On November 25, 2006 the Kim family was on the way home to San Francisco from a Thanksgiving trip when they took a wrong turn while traveling through the Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon.  Before long the snow caused the family with two small children to be stranded on the remote backcountry road.   After all attempts to signal rescuers failed, the family began to loss hope of being rescued.  On December 2, seven days after becoming stranded, James Kim set out on foot to find help that they believed was only 5 miles away.  On December 4, Kati Kim and their two young girls were found by a helicopter pilot.  All fuel had been used up, and what small amount of food and water they had when they started out for home had been severely rationed.  A few days later the body of James Kim was found.  He had died of exposure.

Would you have been prepared?  Could you survive in your car in the middle of winter for 9 days?  Or would you have been forced to leave the safety of your vehicle?


Here are some things that you should have in your car to be prepared.

Emergency Car Kit Check List
Battery-powered radio and extra batteries (or crank/battery-powered) - to
          keep informed if your car radio doesn't work.
Flashlight and extra batteries
Blankets or sleeping bag
Booster/jumper cables
Fire extinguisher (5lb. ABC type) - keep in a place that is easy for the
          driver to grab
3 days supply of water
3 days supply of non-perishable, high-energy food
Cell phone, track phone, or Phone card, quarters for phone calls.
Compass and road maps - and know how to use them!
Dry clothing, gloves or mittens, winter boots, hat, tennis shoes - restock
          seasonally
Tire repair kit, air pump, basic tool kit
Knife
Shovel - not just for getting stuck in snow, it's also great if you get stuck in
          sand (I should know!)
Pencil and paper for writing down other’s insurance information or to leave
          a note to rescue personnel.
Tow rope or chain
Flares and reflectors (or reflective duct tape)
Metal cup or coffee can for water - make sure that it's metal so if need be
          you can melt ice into water in the winter.
Waterproof poncho
Toilet paper
Duct tape (in contrasting color to car) - you can mark the roof or hood of
          your vehicle with and "X" or "SOS" to let others know that you are
          in trouble.
Whistle
Can heater - (more on this soon to come)
First-aid kit
Extra fan belt, radiator hose, and fuses - or substitutes that will get you
          by such as womens nylons, and radiator hose tape.
Anti-freeze/windshield washer fluid
Matches and 100-hr candle - multiple fire starting devices are always best.
Emergency money ($50-$100 in small bills and coins)

Storing Water

How much water do I need?
The Basic rule of thumb is 1 gallon per person per day.  But to be comfortable you will want more.  Water is needed for:
*Drinking (64 oz or 1/2 gallon per day)
*Cooking
*Flushing
*Washing dishes
*Personal hygiene

How to store water
It is best to have your water stored in multiple ways such as:
*55-gallon barrels
*15-gallon barrels
*5+ gallon containers
*2 liter bottles and juice bottles
*Milk jugs (Milk jugs are not recommended as they will deteriorate and
        contaminate the water inside; however, it is better to store water in
        milk jugs than to not have any water stored at all.  Store water in milk
        jugs no longer than one year, and plan on boiling before drinking)

*Individual water bottles

You do not need to add bleach to your water for storing if you are filling your containers from city tap water.
Rotate water yearly to keep it fresh
Store in a dark, cool, dry place not directly on concrete (will leak chemicals into your water through the plastic container) or the ground to prevent your container from deteriorating and bacteria from growing.

Other sources of water
Though water from these other sources may not be drinkable, you can use it for flushing/hygiene.  Other sources include: pools, rainwater (do not drink rain water that has touched the ground), water heater, toilet tank, and canned vegetables. 

What Do I Prepare For?

Before you prepare, you must determine what you are preparing to survive.  Ask yourself this question: "What natural disasters or extreme conditions am I (are we) likely to face?"

Natural Disasters:
Hurricane, tornado, severe thunderstorms, flash flooding, floods, mud/rock slides, high winds, hail, severe winter weather, avalanche, extreme heat, drought, wildfire, earthquake, volcano eruption, tidal wave/tsunami.

Man-made Disasters:
Toxic material emission or spill (from a train, semi-truck, or nearby plant), riot/civil disorder, nuclear threat, terrorism, fire, chemical threat, biological threat, stock market crash, radiation threat, severe economical depression, explosion.

Other:
Disease outbreak, comet or meteor strike.

Personal Emergencies:
Kidnapping, mugging, robbery, unemployment, financial disaster, death in family, home destroyed by fire, random acts of violence.

Next ask yourself this question: "What are the ramifications of each disaster on my list?"  How would each disaster or emergency situation on your list affect you and your family?

For example:

Thunderstorm with electrical outage for 2-48 hours would mean possible food spoilage; no lights; no stove, oven, or microwave; no running water; telephone outage; lack of air conditioning or heating; damage to house or car from nearby trees; possible local flooding; local transportation impaired by fallen trees or wires; lightning damage/fire potential.

Severe winter weather with electrical power outage for 4-72 hours would potentially mean no furnace operation, exposure problems, frozen pipes, disruption of travel, you may be stranded away from home, no running water, no lights, no telephone, and possible food shortages and empty shelves at local stores.

Nearby train derailment could mean possible leak or spill of chemicals, short-term exposure problem, long-term cancer problems, and evacuation may be necessary with little notice.

Keep in mind that you cannot prepare for everything!  Every family is different - different size, different location, different specific dangers, different needs.  You need to prepare to meet the needs of YOUR family.

Welcome

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