Found this website while seaching the topic of sanitation.
Great resources in all areas!!
http://www.pep-c.org/homepage/
Speaking of sanitation....
Not a topic we like to think about much, but critical to prepare for.
Most folks I talk to say they are just going to dig a hole in the backyard for that purpose. Bad Idea!
Gross to think about, but raw sewage can leak some awful stuff into the ground water and cause problems. Multiply that by how many people out of their homes? ew - gross.... (so how did outhouses work then???? that is a history lesson that might be interesting..... or maybe not)
Anyway - how should we prepare now?
Stock up on heavy duty trash bags, bleach, sanitizer and bug spray. Oh, and handwipes too.
Do not flush the toilet if there is a break in the sewer line ( in the case of a major earthquake - plan on there being a major break)
You can still use the toilet bowl - scoop out any standing water and line the bowl with a trash bag. When finished, put in some deodorant or disinfectant and tie up the bag securely. These bags can then be stored in a regular trash can with a tight fitting lid. Keep the bug spray handy!
I also recommend a product called Double Doodie Bags. They have a biogel in them that deals with the "waste" in a way to minimize smell and bulk. They are a bit pricey, but will increase your comfort zone in a disaster. They have a size that will fit on a porta potty bucket, or you can buy larger ones that will fit in a regular toliet bowl. I find them at a local "big box" store in the camping section.
other information and ideas can be found at:
http://dwp.bigplanet.com/prepared/sanitation/
So - questions??
I wonder if rug deodorant would work as a deodorant for "waste" bags?
Can you buy bio-gel independent of double doodie bags to use?
(check out www.emergencypreparedness.com - I think they have it, but others might too)
I wonder how long it will take the city sanitation department to recoup so they can come pick up our waste storage? (How long to I have to prepare for?)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A plan to Prepare
How do I prepare? Is a big question. I've broken it down into 5 phases roughly outlining the order events might happen. Certainly all preparedness needs to happen before hand - but if you do it in sequential increments, you might be able to mentally deal with it better.
Phase one should be relabeld: Initial Survival. In order to survive an earthquake (and many other events), you've got to be sure your house or place of work doesn't crush you. You also need to have a basic 72 hour survival kit and a family meeting place so you can regroup and assess your situation.
After you have initially survived, your next immediate thoughts will turn to rescuing others - family, friends, neighbors. I highly recommend getting some training for this like: CERT ( http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/ ) and First Aid. Basic training can protect you from endangering yourself and others. Storing some basic rescue related tools would also come in quite handy.
After you have stablilzed your family and neighbors, you will need to report your situation to someone. In church we have the HAM radio network and priesthood leadership to report to. Non members may wish to report their situation to whatever local authorities exist. Accurate and prompt reporting is vital to getting emergency help and services. Government will respond to where the greatest need is reported first. Prompt assessment and reporting will speed up the system (as it were). This is where an out of state family contact is also vital. Your loved ones hearing the news are going to be frantic to find out if you are ok. Plan ahead for whom that contact will be and for possible alternative ways of reaching them. (RACES and other HAM radio organizations can assist with this, after emergency response communications are handled. Likely your local government and/or responders will work on a system for getting messages out of the area - be alert and watch for your opportunities - and be patient. It is going to take time.)
Now the fun part - long term survival. This may be 24, 48 or 72 hours later. Help is still "on it's way?" You need to be prepared to hunker down and wait it out. Think Food, Water, Sanitation and Shelter. By planning and preparing for this stage well ahead of time, you greatly increase your chances for surviving in some level of comfort and avoiding further problems with disease. I think it is a greater tragedy to survive a major event, to then die because basic survival needs are not met. Sometimes evacuation is possible, often times it is not. Safety is another issue at this point. It is in this stage that people begin to act in ugly ways - looting, marauding, etc... Work with your neighbors ahead of time to see that they are prepared and you improve your chances of survival. The very basics of tribal society will become real life - so plan ahead to develop a cooperative community of family and neighbors to help each other out during this trying time.
Finally there is recovery. Think ahead to protect your assets. Scan and copy important documents to DVD - make copies and have them stored in safe/ out of the way places. Look into your insurance opportunities. What will you do if your employment system is destroyed or delayed significantly? Begin an emergency fund. There will be government help, at a cost. There will also be opportunists and fraud. Get your self into a postion where you are not desparate and can take the time to take advantage of the best opportunities. Be wary, be careful, be smart.
Phase one should be relabeld: Initial Survival. In order to survive an earthquake (and many other events), you've got to be sure your house or place of work doesn't crush you. You also need to have a basic 72 hour survival kit and a family meeting place so you can regroup and assess your situation.
After you have initially survived, your next immediate thoughts will turn to rescuing others - family, friends, neighbors. I highly recommend getting some training for this like: CERT ( http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/ ) and First Aid. Basic training can protect you from endangering yourself and others. Storing some basic rescue related tools would also come in quite handy.
After you have stablilzed your family and neighbors, you will need to report your situation to someone. In church we have the HAM radio network and priesthood leadership to report to. Non members may wish to report their situation to whatever local authorities exist. Accurate and prompt reporting is vital to getting emergency help and services. Government will respond to where the greatest need is reported first. Prompt assessment and reporting will speed up the system (as it were). This is where an out of state family contact is also vital. Your loved ones hearing the news are going to be frantic to find out if you are ok. Plan ahead for whom that contact will be and for possible alternative ways of reaching them. (RACES and other HAM radio organizations can assist with this, after emergency response communications are handled. Likely your local government and/or responders will work on a system for getting messages out of the area - be alert and watch for your opportunities - and be patient. It is going to take time.)
Now the fun part - long term survival. This may be 24, 48 or 72 hours later. Help is still "on it's way?" You need to be prepared to hunker down and wait it out. Think Food, Water, Sanitation and Shelter. By planning and preparing for this stage well ahead of time, you greatly increase your chances for surviving in some level of comfort and avoiding further problems with disease. I think it is a greater tragedy to survive a major event, to then die because basic survival needs are not met. Sometimes evacuation is possible, often times it is not. Safety is another issue at this point. It is in this stage that people begin to act in ugly ways - looting, marauding, etc... Work with your neighbors ahead of time to see that they are prepared and you improve your chances of survival. The very basics of tribal society will become real life - so plan ahead to develop a cooperative community of family and neighbors to help each other out during this trying time.
Finally there is recovery. Think ahead to protect your assets. Scan and copy important documents to DVD - make copies and have them stored in safe/ out of the way places. Look into your insurance opportunities. What will you do if your employment system is destroyed or delayed significantly? Begin an emergency fund. There will be government help, at a cost. There will also be opportunists and fraud. Get your self into a postion where you are not desparate and can take the time to take advantage of the best opportunities. Be wary, be careful, be smart.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Getting started
A very useful publication, put together by several experts in earthquake preparedness, is the Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country booklet. It can be downloaded from the www.daretoprepare.org website. I also have some on hand from past trainings, so feel free to ask me at church to bring you one.
The booklet outlines seven steps of earthquake safety. Steps 1 - 4 are specific to preparing before the quake hits.
1. Identify the hazards in your home and begin to fix them
2. Develop a plan
3. Prepare a disaster supplies kit
4. Identify your building's potential weaknesses and work on getting them repaired.
If you are out in an open field when the earthquake hits, you are going to be just fine. The problem is that we live in buildings - and have lots of unsecured furniture and knick knacks all around us. If the shaking gets rough - things fall and fly about, which can cause a lot of bodily harm. You need to plan on securing items so that they don't become lethal. The booklet gives lots of guidance on what to look for and how to make corrections. Fortunately many of the fixes are easy and supplies are readily available in local hardware stores.
If you don't feel confident in your handiman skills, give the Elder's Quorum President a call. If this isn't something your home teacher could handle, then he'll know of someone in the quorum who could volunteer to get the job done. We have some brethren in the ward who do this as a sideline business, if you are looking to pay someone to take care of it for you.
Bottom line - no excuses. The safety of you and your family depends on you taking the first steps.
The booklet outlines seven steps of earthquake safety. Steps 1 - 4 are specific to preparing before the quake hits.
1. Identify the hazards in your home and begin to fix them
2. Develop a plan
3. Prepare a disaster supplies kit
4. Identify your building's potential weaknesses and work on getting them repaired.
If you are out in an open field when the earthquake hits, you are going to be just fine. The problem is that we live in buildings - and have lots of unsecured furniture and knick knacks all around us. If the shaking gets rough - things fall and fly about, which can cause a lot of bodily harm. You need to plan on securing items so that they don't become lethal. The booklet gives lots of guidance on what to look for and how to make corrections. Fortunately many of the fixes are easy and supplies are readily available in local hardware stores.
If you don't feel confident in your handiman skills, give the Elder's Quorum President a call. If this isn't something your home teacher could handle, then he'll know of someone in the quorum who could volunteer to get the job done. We have some brethren in the ward who do this as a sideline business, if you are looking to pay someone to take care of it for you.
Bottom line - no excuses. The safety of you and your family depends on you taking the first steps.
Preparedness
Anyone who has lived in California, and specifically the Coachella Valley, for any length of time should be well aware of the fact that this is earthquake county. USGS has been warning us that the southern portion of the San Andreas fault is over due for a serious slip, and recent world wide activity is making some of us a little nervous about this.
As emergency preparedness specialist for the ward, it is my job to get the word out and help organize efforts to prepare. The stake president specifically directed us to nag everyone to get ready.
As we start this new year, I'm taking advantage of the technology to help spread the word and share information. I'm hoping this will help me get more resources out there for folks who are serious about getting ready.
The most important point I'd like to make right now is that we need to take this serious. Maybe it won't be an earthquake, or a terroist attack, or some catastrophic event -- but every family is due for hard times in some way or another. Using the scenerio of an earthquake is a great way to motivate ourselves to prepare -- and then whenever that personal or family event happens you'll be ready.
As emergency preparedness specialist for the ward, it is my job to get the word out and help organize efforts to prepare. The stake president specifically directed us to nag everyone to get ready.
As we start this new year, I'm taking advantage of the technology to help spread the word and share information. I'm hoping this will help me get more resources out there for folks who are serious about getting ready.
The most important point I'd like to make right now is that we need to take this serious. Maybe it won't be an earthquake, or a terroist attack, or some catastrophic event -- but every family is due for hard times in some way or another. Using the scenerio of an earthquake is a great way to motivate ourselves to prepare -- and then whenever that personal or family event happens you'll be ready.
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