Proper sanitation is probably one of the most underrated issues when it comes to survival and preparedness. You have made all the plans and strategies to get through the apocalypse, but all these will be for nothing when you or someone in your family gets sick. One of the quickest ways to spread disease is through a lack of sanitation. Having a portable emergency toilet will help keep things sanitary and keep diseases from spreading, no matter where you are.
DIY Emergency Toilet
When an earthquake, hurricane or any other natural disaster hits your area, you could have problems not only with water, food, or electricity but also with sanitation. It is a well-known fact that people get sick easily when germs and bacteria are everywhere, and a lack of proper restroom facilities is one of the main ways this happens. Learn how to avoid the spread of bacteria and disease by making your own DIY emergency toilet – click here for the full article.
Mommy, I Have to Go Potty! Make Your Own Emergency Toilet
We have talked about what we’ll do when the paper eventually runs out, but what about when the toilet doesn’t work anymore?
Consider this: You’ve had a major local disaster where the water has gone out. There is no water available to your house because water mains have been broken, the city water supply has been tainted and shut down, or one of the various other reasons that cause city-wide services to be shut down. What happens when Little Susie says she has to go to the bathroom?
Do you let her? Sure! In the beginning, it won’t be so hard. If you’ve got plenty of water stored up, you can use some of the non-potable water to pour it quickly into the bowl to help create a vacuum to flush your toilet. It’s kind of messy, and splashes a lot, which means you’ll have to clean up each time you do it. The real problem comes when the sewer lines become full and your poo isn’t going anywhere. Once that backup happens, it will be a stinky situation, in more ways than one. (This would be a good time to think about filling your bathtub with water that can be used for non-potable things like watering plants and force flushing your toilet – you can also use a WaterBob to contain it if you don’t want to keep an open tub full of water.)
But it doesn’t take too long for the sewers to get backed up and you can’t flush any longer. THEN you’re in big trouble. Susie REALLY needs to go, but without a working sewer system, that potty water has no where to go.
What on earth do you do now?
The problem you are faced with now is how to be able to go to the bathroom and not get your family sick and still not feel like your house smells like a sewer.
via Mommy, I Have to Go Potty! Make Your Own Emergency Toilet – Mom with a PREP.
Nobody wants to get sick, especially in survival situations. Efforts need to be taken to ensure that everyone is healthy. If a flood occurs, the water from the sewage system will combine with water from other sources, spreading the bacteria along with the feces. It will spread by contaminating drinking water as well as food prepared with water from the flood.
The conditions are no different after an earthquake. Water lines are broken and there will be water shortage. Sanitation becomes a problem as the water lines and sewage system come together. We all know that we cannot survive for three days without water but it is also important to have clean water to drink. Ways to purify water must be found to keep disease from spreading.
Proper waste disposal needs to be practiced, too. Since the sewage and water lines have been compromised, toilet alternatives have to be used. Let us hope that when the unthinkable happens, there will be portable toilets provided by the city or county that you are in. Otherwise we have to make do with what we have.
When SHTF becomes a figurative and literal reality, it is time to do something about it. After all, there is nobody else we can rely on in these situations but ourselves.
Check out related articles from our site:
- Clean Camping Gear and Tips | Campsite Hygiene Hacks
- Kids Who Camp Are Happier and Healthier
- Stay Clean, Stay Healthy, SURVIVE
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 1, 2014, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.