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I just love how some of you are really getting into the Christmas spirit of giving preparedness gifts. My friend was telling me that one of the gifts that she is giving her kids for Christmas is a toilet seat! No kidding! Not just a regular, run-of-the-mill toilet seat, but those really neat preparedness toilet seats that fit on the plastic five gallon buckets. I would bet that you could give that gift to most people, and it would be something that they didn’t already have. Brilliant! I just love that woman – she inspires me.
Not to get off the subject of gifts, but if you are ever in a situation that you might need some privacy, to maybe use this Christmas gift, I have a really quick, easy, and inexpensive solution. You only need three things: a large umbrella with a handle that has a crook in it, a shower curtain and something to hang the umbrella from. Hang the umbrella from the tree limb or a rope that has been strung up and then take the shower curtain, with the conveniently placed holes, and place the holes over the ends of each of the umbrella spines and – voila’ — an instant privacy shelter. This would also be good for a shower if you are out in the middle of nowhere – which brings us back to Christmas gifts.
How about a solar shower? One of the most important things that you need to do in a disaster is to stay clean. This will help control the spread of disease. It will also help you to keep a better frame of mind. I know that I always feel better after a refreshing shower. Of course, if you want to take a shower during an emergency you will need what? Let’s all say it together – WATER! Two gallons, per person, per day, for a two week period. And of course, that brings us to the next gift.
Water. Okay, not really water, but the filter to make your water clean if necessary. I was watching the news and I saw a clip about the people in Bangladesh that are caught in the middle of a weather related disaster. An old man was clutching a one-liter bottle of water that he was going to share with five other members of his family. He didn’t know when they would be getting more and the only reason he had that bottle was because the villagers stopped a truck that was headed for another community. He said that they desperately needed clean water. The pictures of the disaster showed that the entire village was completely covered with water, but it was disgusting, polluted water.
The old man went on to say that everyone was desperate. They tried drinking the water, but it was making the children’s stomachs hurt and everyone else was having a difficult time too. They reported that the hospital was gearing up for all of the diseases that come with the lack of water and poor water quality. They had already started seeing children coming in with diarrhea and they were trying to gear up for all of the other diseases that were inevitable and the death that would follow. Sorry about the yuckiness, but it is real, and you can avoid all that if you just get a really good water filter. In our Ready or Not article #80, I shared with you how to make your own incredible water filter really inexpensively. Give your family the gift of clean water; store it and have a filter to clean it if necessary.
For both of those gifts you will need to purchase a five-gallon bucket and do me a favor – purchase separate buckets for each gift – I think that it would be appropriate. Keep up with the great ideas and have fun this season buying the perfect gift – the gift of preparedness and safety.
Tell ‘em you love ‘em by preparing ‘em.
Dawn