Natural disasters have become more frequent and severe in recent years, but one dad on the internet is sharing his wisdom on how to navigate the storms.
The scoop
TikToker Dad Advice From Bo (@dadadvicefrombo), who has 3.5 million followers, recently demonstrated how people can be a little bit more comfortable during extreme weather.
"If your water supply is cut off by a disaster, accident, or just the city, you can still flush your toilets and fill your sinks if you need to as long as you find a water source," he wrote in the caption of his social media post.
The only other thing you need for this hack is a bucket.
"Your pipes will still drain … If you have any kind of water source — like a lake, or creek, or river, or mud puddle — you can fill up a bucket of water and still flush your toilet," he explained, emptying the water from the bucket directly into the toilet bowl and then flushing it without issue.
@dadadvicefrombo If your water supply is cut off by a disaster, accident or just the city, you can still flush your toilets and fill your sinks if you need to as long as you find a water source. More practically, if your water is being turned off and you know ahead of time, fill a few buckets and use this trick. Love, Dad
♬ original sound - DadAdviceFromBo
How it's helping
This hack is an inexpensive way to save yourself from an inconvenient and potentially messy or hazardous situation, as well as perhaps add to your peace of mind.
The United States set a record for billion-dollar disasters in 2023, so it's smart to be prepared ahead of time.
Some reusable buckets cost less than $1, and using natural water sources to fill them — assuming, of course, that you aren't wading into flood waters — can help limit plastic waste.
During a disaster, it's important to have a supply of clean drinking water. It's not uncommon, though, for people to stock up on single-use plastic bottles for all of their water needs — regardless of whether the water is being consumed.
The vast majority of those plastics then end up releasing toxins into our environment as they decompose in landfills over hundreds of years.
What's more, an overfilled toilet carries the risk of overflowing, which could then release illness-causing bacteria into your living space.
What everyone's saying
Other TikTokers had a wide range of reactions to the clip, which received more than 50,000 likes. Many were also quick to point out that this tip is commonly used in other parts of the world.
"I grew up doing this," one person said.
"Pro tip. You can melt snow for it as well!!" someone else advised.
"I was wondering how to do this!" another TikToker said in gratitude.
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