The Role of Restrooms in Disaster Emergency Response

Disaster will strike again. This we know for certain.

In 2022 alone, the U.S. experienced 18 separate weather and climate disasters, displacing thousands of people from their homes.

Now imagine what could happen to your community in the wake of a natural disaster. It would be a challenging time, and people would need immediate help.

How can you make sure you’re ready?

Federal and local governments have emergency management plans in place, and preparation is the key for being ready. It’s smart to be familiar with these plans before disaster strikes and to assist local officials however possible.

What is an Emergency Management Plan?

Think back to 2020 when being prepared just meant buying a lot of toilet paper, sanitizer, and canned goods.

Well, not all natural disasters are created equal, but they have common elements that we can recognize to be more prepared.

Community leaders know there are four phases of emergency management:

1. Mitigation includes actions taken to prevent or reduce the cause, impact, and consequences of disasters.
2. Preparedness includes planning, training, and educational activities for events that cannot be mitigated.
3. Response occurs in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and focuses on personal safety and well-being in an emergency. 
4. Recovery period is for restoration efforts that occur simultaneously with normal operations and activities.

Phases 1 through 3 are essential for helping families find shelter if they’re displaced, and response plans generally make sure people have access to food, water, and medical supplies (including medications) at those shelter locations.

But many plans overlook the need for restrooms and hygiene—and there often aren’t enough restrooms to accommodate everyone. High school gymnasiums may be able to accommodate hundreds of people for overnight stays or longer, but their restrooms were only built to handle traffic for a few hours at a time. Sometimes, water is turned off in areas of flooding or devastation where it is unsafe to use.

Sloan offers two beneficial resources which communities can use to increase restroom capacity quickly in the aftermath of a disaster.

• Sloan Mobile Restrooms—deluxe facilities that give displaced people far greater privacy, hygiene, and comfort than typical portable restrooms.
• Sloan Mobile Handwashing Stations—touch-free units combining sink, faucet, soap, and hand-drying that can be deployed anywhere to help people maintain good hand hygiene.

Delivering Help to Communities in Need

Currently, we are working on sending a Sloan Mobile Restroom unit to Arkansas after a tornado struck the area, and another unit will be sent to assist volunteer teams rebuilding communities in Missouri.

Last month, we deployed Sloan Mobile restrooms to the Global Empowerment Mission Magalia Community Church in Magalia, California.

The Magalia community was devastated by a snowstorm that caused roofs to collapse, and many residents were displaced. The church began providing shelter to those in need, but their restrooms were limited.

Sloan Mobile Restrooms gave displaced residents:

• Men’s and women’s units with separate entries
• A clean, relaxed indoor environment
• ADA-compliant modifications to accommodate any user
• Touch-free faucets, soap dispensers, hand dryers, and flushometers for maximum hygiene

Our Mobile Restrooms offer first responders, FEMA workers in natural disaster recovery areas, and communities in need a restroom environment that is clean, comfortable, safe, and hygienic.

Our Commitment Brings Relief

At Sloan, we partner with multiple nonprofit organizations, both local and national, with a focus on environmental disasters and causes. Our mission is to respond by providing people with immediate assistance during times of uncertainty through innovative mobile aid.

Our Mobile Restrooms were there  after strong tornados ripped through Kentucky, when the wildfires devastated California, and when Hurricane Ida displaced thousands of people in Louisiana. Sloan was there alongside first responder teams when Tropical Cyclone Ian ravaged much of Florida’s coastal communities and floods devastated remote communities in Kentucky. Sloan cares about humanity and this is our way of supporting communities with comfort and peace when their entire world is turned upside down.

Communities seeking to enhance restroom availability in their disaster preparedness can plan to include both Sloan Mobile Restrooms and Sloan Mobile Handwashing Stations. Because after a disaster, hygiene facilities are just as important as food, clothing, shelter, and medical supplies.

We all know that disaster will strike again, and when it does Sloan will be there.