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emergency sanitation
After a disaster, poor sanitation is historically the biggest killer. We are so used to being able to push a lever and have it all flushed away for us, out of sight, out of mind. When we have to take responsibility for our family and community's sanitation, its going to take us off guard. Lets not avoid this unpopular topic and learn together what to do in this situation.
lessons from history
More people have died from CHOLERA, DYSENTERY, DIARRHEA AND TYPHOID than anything else on earth.
Earthquake in Haiti, 2010 - poor sanitation led to a devastating cholera epidemic, causing nearly 10,000 deaths and over 800,000 infections over the following years
Haiti 2022 Cholera resurgence: Over 13,000 suspected cases and 283 deaths due to poor sanitation
Hurricane Katrina, USA 2005 - the New Orleans Superdome devolved into a nightmarish shelter with extreme heat (no AC), overflowing and broken plumbing (feces/urine everywhere), rotting garbage, severe lack of food/water/medicine, rampant filth, and reports of intimidation, violence, and even deaths, becoming a symbol of governmental failure and mass suffering, as authorities were overwhelmed and underprepared for the scale of the crisis
Sanitation Nightmare: With broken toilets and sinks, people were forced to use garbage cans, creating revolting conditions with feces and urine saturating the floor, mixed with mud and rotting food.
According to the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) - 168,000 viral and 34,000 bacterial illnesses can be traced to badly maintained septic systems every year.
Community
You are not prepared if your neighbor is not prepared
Sanitation is a matter of community, for no matter how prepared you are and how well you practice good sanitation during an emergency, if your neighbors are not prepared, your family is going to get sick too.
fecal oral transmission
Dangerous diseases are spread during emergencies with a scarcity of water and poor sanitation through Fecal Oral Transmission - yes, this means poop is somehow getting into our mouths. This probably happens more than you think (eww) but during an emergency when medicine and services are less available, getting sick can be deadly and diseases spread quickly.
This happens 5 ways:
1) Fingers - hand washing is harder when there is little water and it needs to be reserved for drinking.
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Consider a busy stressful situation, someone may hand you a much needed snack. its hard to remember to take the time to properly wash hands.
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Children, babies and diapers.
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Using the toilette
2) Food - what is your food touching, and what is touching the food?
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Washing dishes with limited water, soap and clean cloth
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Keeping flies off food - keeping food covered
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rodents, insects (ants, mice, - storage)
3) Flies - If poop is not being properly covered (we will discuss this later), Flies will land on it and then on your food.
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You might be covering poop properly, but is your neighbor?
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The average housefly can travel 2-20 miles in a day.
4) Fields - Fecal matter needs properly buried
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when dump stations are unavailable, RV's and anyone really will try dumping their waste out in the wilderness.
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Uncovered waste in the wilderness will spread disease:
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Animals will be attracted to it
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Flies
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Water run-off
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5) Fluids - Keep your water sources clean
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Uninformed people washing dirty hands, bodies, containers, and fecal contaminated matter (diapers) will quickly contaminate water sources
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poorly made latrines and buried waste can leak into ground water and wells.
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Broken sewer systems can fill homes, yards and streets with waste
It's much easier to keep from becoming sick than trying to get well
In a grid-down situation, things must be cleaner than we keep them now because we will be more susceptible to getting sick.
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- Develop habits and practice now how to cope with stress
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- Take your vitamins and supplements. have some on hand for emergencies.
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- Find out what works for you personally.
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- If you do get sick, what do you need to get well?
scriptures:
In the Old Testament, The Israelites were a huge mass of people (over 1 million people), leaving Egypt to travel in the wilderness. You can imagine there would be some sanitation issues with that many people and animals all traveling together...
DEUT 23:12, 13 - :
12 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee"
"But grandma and grandpa had an old outhouse on the farm"
Yep, latrines and pit-toilets were the standard for a long time.
but...
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Lifespans were shorter then, and with a higher mortality rate - especially for the more vulnerable (children, child birth, elderly, immune compromised.)
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After the 2010 major earthquake, Haiti quickly dug extensive trench latrines, using Lyme - but this method resulted in rampant disease
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"Dry soil, pit latrines can transmit pollution 10 ft underneath the hole and 3 ft sideways.
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In wet soils, they can leak fifty feet sideways following the direction of groundwater flow (humanure pg 48)"
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Flies can get to the poop easily and are able to land on it
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Latrines Smell Bad - The waste is very concentrated, and without the proper bacteria, a pit toilet takes over a decade to break down waste.
laws and truth
Unchanging laws and truths really work, every time.
Sanitation is an vital aspect of human life. As such, a loving Heavenly Father has created a perfect Design that includes how to deal with human waste.
This isn't about going out buying stuff to store it. What you know is more valuable that what you have.
Understanding and applying simple principles is key.
"Face the future with hope and Confidence"
Lets dig in:
double click a section to learn more about Emergency sanitation
Sources Cited: For a more in-depth learning module on this subject see the courses available for free and for site members ($5.99/month fee) at www.Jimsway.com. All thanks goes to Jim Phillips for his research and life dedicated in teaching provident living.
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