Dana Armstrong
Tending to the 3 W’s — warmth, water and waste — is a manageable emergency preparedness tactic that might help you get through a major earthquake (or another disaster with limited access to basic services).
People often envision food being the most important part of a survival kit, but water is a real life-sustaining necessity – if you’re lucky enough to stay at home after an earthquake, you’re liable to have enough food to get by, even if it means tapping into that can of green beans at the back of the cupboard. The other two Ws, warmth and waste, are also key to staying healthy and happy.
At Madison Park Hub, we stress the importance of focusing on the three Ws first to make preparedness less overwhelming. (Quick plug: our Hub is hosting a preparedness event on Sept. 22.) There are many ways to deal with these needs (and many opinions about them), so I welcome you to find your own solutions. But here are a few things to consider if you’re looking to start some prep.
WATER
The lake is not a dependable source of drinking water. Water filtering and boiling won’t remove the heavy metals, salts and other chemicals that might contaminate Lake Washington in an earthquake or other emergency. Also, it’s not convenient: imagine navigating home from the lake lugging full containers across buckled streets and sidewalks littered with toppled telephone poles. Not a pretty picture.
Ready.gov recommends supplies for “a couple of days” while other preparedness enthusiasts recommend nine days or even a full two weeks of water. Do what you have time and space for!
TIPS
Determine your household’s water needs. You will need to store 1 gallon of water per person per day. Each pet requires one-third of a gallon per day.
Obtain a bottled water supply if you have a place to store it. Buy commercially bottled water and store it unopened in a cool, dark place that is likely to be accessible after a quake. (Check it/rotate it often, as it will evaporate over time.)
Purchase water disinfection supplies and learn how to use them. These can range from disinfectant tablets to judiciously used household bleach. If the water is not chemically contaminated, a LifeStraw or other camping water filter (Sawyer is a popular brand) can work.
Know how to access another water source (if available). A hot water tank in your home is a backup source of clean water. (But you have to protect it from contamination by turning off the water to the house and, if possible, to the tank.) Some tanks have easy-to-use valves, while others require using a wrench – find out which yours is! (I left a spare wrench by my water tank to be ready if I need it.)
WARMTH
Earthquakes can strike in any weather. Depending on the season, weather, and available shelter when an earthquake hits, you will need a way to stay warm.
Natural gas brings earthquake risks. Should a gas line in your home have broken with the shaking, any spark could ignite gas that may have accumulated in your home. So, if you smell gas, send everyone outside to safety.
Courtesy
Emergency portable toilet.
TIPS
Consider warmth when assembling disaster supplies. We recommend you keep the following in a bag near your bed (perhaps attached to a leg of your bed so you can easily find it):
• a light source (headlamps are ideal, or a flashlight)
• sturdy shoes and warm socks
• gloves to keep your hands warm and protected from broken glass
• a warm hat, a warm shirt, a water-resistant, warm jacket, and a pair of pants/leggings
• two masks: a simple cloth mask to prevent COVID transmission (you might spend some time in the close quarters of a shelter) and an N-95 quality mask to protect lungs from smoke in case fires are burning nearby
Dress like you’re camping indoors: If there’s no power, please know that generators and stoves (even your own gas stove) are not safe to use indoors to warm yourself, due to carbon monoxide risk, so you might need to get creative to stay warm. Layering clothes is always a good plan. Some people even put up tents inside the house (blankets will work in a pinch – think those play forts kids put up with blankets and chairs).
WASTE
Water and sewer pipes are vulnerable to shaking amplification and rupture during an earthquake. In a 2018 study of earthquake response, the King County Wastewater Treatment Division concluded that recovery and reconstruction of our sewer system and treatment plants may take years.
Water might not be coming into your toilet, and you won’t want to waste any precious water supply on flushing. Besides, any human waste that gets flushed and enters the sewer line will flood out of any break in the pipeline and pose a health risk.
Human waste management after an earthquake is essential. One of the top two causes of morbidity and mortality after natural disasters is life-threatening dehydration from diarrheal disease caused by fecal contamination of water, food, cooking utensils, and your own two hands.
TIPS
• Use your toilet – but not how you think! Line your toilet bowl with a plastic bag to capture and manually dispose of poop. Store poop outside.
• Create a twin-bucket toilet in advance. If you don’t have access to your toilet, a homemade twin-bucket toilet can be used anywhere and uses easy-to-find supplies (5-gallon buckets, pool noodles, and garbage bags). Make one for pee and one for poo. Google instructions to learn how.
I hope this wasn’t too overwhelming, and that you can spend a little time thinking about how you would approach the three Ws at your home.
This column is part of Madison Park Emergency Hub’s outreach effort. We’re an all-volunteer organization focused on neighbors helping each other in an emergency.
Please come to our emergency drill in Madison Park on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2-4 p.m. near the tennis courts (drop by anytime; kids are encouraged to participate). We’ll practice preparedness and rehearse how you could both help and get help in a disaster – and it’s a lot of fun! Mail us at madparkhub@gmail.com to learn more.
Dana Armstrong is a Madison Park Emergency Hub volunteer.