When disaster strikes, you want to know that you have done what you can to prepare for the worst. If an event such as a hurricane or nuclear disaster forces you and your family to leave your home without warning, you could easily find yourself in a serious situation where you will need first-aid medical attention. However, during natural or unnatural disasters, emergency medical attention might not be able to come to your location, so having the resources and knowledge to help yourself and your family members at a time like this can be the difference between life and death.
In the midst of a catastrophe, having a functional medical emergency kit is essential for survival, and sometimes you have to plan for it on a limited budget. In this case, the best approach is to build your own, while utilizing only the most critical items you need for your survival.
Prepare for any disaster step-by-step
Build Your Own: Four Essential Medical Categories to Concentrate On
The four general categories you will want to take into consideration for your medical kit preparations are ointment, bandages, tools, and medicine. Knowing the necessary components for each category will help you to form the most cost-effective kit.
Ointment
The first and most important in this category is antiseptic wipes, like iodine wipes or alcohol-based wipes. In addition to wipes, you may also want to include an antibacterial ointment, like bacitracin. These are other ointments you may also find valuable:
- Hand-sanitizing gel
- Insect repellent
- Insect sting relief treatment
- Iodine liquid
- Sunscreen
- Lip balm
- Biodegradable soap
- Collapsible water sink or basin
- Water-treatment chemicals
Bandages
You want to have bandages that can address any possible injury that may arise. Keep in mind that a person can die after just 10-15 minutes if they are bleeding from a major artery; you will want to have sufficient bandages to stop blood flow and close the wound. Remember, the best thing you can do for an actively bleeding wound is to apply pressure until you are able to apply ointment or bandages. The Israeli Battle Bandage is a first-aid device commonly used for major wounds, and it’s only $9. You will also want to include the following bandages in your medical kit:
- Blood-stopping (hemostatic) gauze
- Triangular cravat bandages
- SAM splint and finger splint
- Stretch-to-form bandages
- Liquid bandages
- Medical adhesive tape
- Band-aids (various sizes)
Tools
You are definitely going to want a suture kit as well as scissors and fine-point forceps to deal with critical injuries. You may want to consider buying paramedic shears in order to cut through clothing for injuries that require fast response time. Cotton-tipped swabs will be helpful for applying iodine liquid to wounds. In addition to these items, here are a few other tools that will likely be useful:
- Multi-tool (or pocket knife)
- CPR mask
- Emergency heat-reflecting blanket
- Headlamp (or flashlight) with extra batteries
- Safety pins
- Industrial gloves (preferably non-latex)
- Needle-nose pliers
Medicine
There are a number of medications and treatments that you will want to consider packing in your medical emergency kit. Aloe Vera can be helpful as both a sunscreen and a treatment for sunburns. You may also want injectable epinephrine, commonly known as an “EpiPen”, to treat allergic reactions. Here are a number of other medications or treatments that one may require:
- Antihistamines for allergic reactions
- Prescription medications
- Glucose to treat hypoglycemia
- Eye drops
- Aspirin
- Iodine tablets for water purification
- Multivitamins
Take into account the above mentioned items and each of the general categories as you compare prices on medical emergency kits that are prepackaged versus individual items. Many of the prepackaged kits have a great variation of items, but they may be lacking on some of the critical components previously mentioned, and this is why it often the most cost-effective strategy to build your own.
That 7 buck epipen is a TRAINER, not an actual epipen