Let's Talk Toilets!

I know I've already done a post on this previously, but this is a pretty serious matter, so we're going to address it again.  Plus, I now have a group buy opportunity for everyone. 

First of all, I'd like to talk about some of the information I have been reading about water and the importance of storing it.  I don't know why, but the subject of water has been plaguing me lately so it must be important.

Let's discuss earthquakes.

  We live along a major fault line and the likeliness of us having a major earthquake (7.0 on the Richter scale) is pretty high.  This area has typically had this type of event every 350-500 years.  Guess how long it's been since it happened?  350 years.  That means our odds are going up.
The main water pipeline that feeds the Salt Lake Valley crosses the Wasatch fault line 19 times. We also have several other fault lines to contend with as well, including the West Valley fault, the Hurricane fault, the Cache Valley fault and several fault lines underneath the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake.  Bob Carey, the operations chief for the Utah Division of Emergency Management says that an earthquake of this magnitude will be devastating.  About 90% of all the power lines would go down.  In approximately a week, about 75% of the homes would have their power back on, but water would be a whole different story.
A movement of just inches would be enough to shear the sewer pipes and other utility pipes.  The Federal Emergency Loss-Estimation software, HAZUS predicts more than 17,000 leaks and 10,000 breaks across the regions infrastructure, with outages totalling 95% and 62% with no potable water even after 90 days.  Any water that is available will be prioritized for emergency operations, and emergency officials will be counting on any company with stores of bottled water (Walmart, Target, etc) to fill emergency needs. 
Notice that right in the middle of that bit about potable water you see the words "sewer pipes".  90 days is a long time to go without running water...and it's a long time to be without a flushing toilet also. 
I don't want to scare anyone, but in all honesty, the purpose of being prepared is so that we don't have to be scared.  It will still be scary, but it will be a lot less scary if we know what to do and how to take care of our families.  It's easy to get lazy about preparedness when you never think about what might happen and how you will deal with it.

So what do you need to consider when you start making plans to prepare?

Here are some important factors to take into account:

1. You will need some kind of alternative to a flushing toilet.  Those with RVs have a great resource, but it isn't enough.  The toilet in your RV is only going to last about two weeks and then you're right back where you started.  If you're going to be prepared for 90 days, you need another alternative.
2. Many of us have the bucket with the toilet seat and this is a great start.  Several years ago it was common practice to put these kits together with trash bags and kitty litter, but these are no longer advised.  Kitty litter will get hard and can also be sharp when it clumps.  It also does very little for controlling odor when you get right down to it.  The bags will be heavy, if they aren't strong enough or the kitty litter has sharp edges, the bags may break.  That is going to be one super horrible mess.  And remember, you don't have any running water.  It's best to invest in items that are designed for these purposes.  They will cost a little extra but will be worth it in the end.
3. With raw sewage in your house and no running water,  you're going to want to have adequate cleaners, disinfectants, and deodorizers.  I have recently heard these words:  "If it's an emergency, I'm going to have worse things to think about that how it smells." or "If it's an emergency I can go in the bushes because by that point I won't even care!"  These statements may be true, but why suffer if you don't have to?  I would think any little thing you can do to make things as normal as possible will go a long way to keeping calm and dealing with the important stuff.
4. In an emergency, the likelihood that diseases can spread because of unsanitary conditions goes up.  Anything you can do to keep your family as healthy as possible will be important.
5. No matter what, dealing with a porta potty and raw sewage is going to be no treat.  It's gonna be a nasty job at best, so it's important to make sure you have the correct supplies to make it tolerable.  (Recent testers for all the products I am going to offer you said that, regardless of what they used, the job was disgusting, but they were thankful for the things they had to use that at least made the job bearable.)
6. In the event that you will be using your porta-potty, you will probably have other hygiene matters to consider.  Hospital grade disinfectants and long term sanitizers will not only go well with the toilet system, but in the event of a pandemic or other self-imposed reverse quarantine, they would also come in handy.

We have an opportunity to participate in a group buy for porta-potties and the supplies that go with them right now.  I will be passing around some flyers and information sheets tomorrow in church, along with an order form for those that would like to participate.  It's a lot of information to consider, so please take the sheet, discuss it as a family and decide what is right for you.  Please also consider your budget as you decide.  Remember that a part of being prepared is being financially prepared, and it is never advisable to go into debt.  Do what you can do, little by little.  Each step you take will help you feel the peace that comes with being prepared.