Emergency Supplies Blog

I believe every parent should have a well stocked first aid kit and a good CPR book.  You never know when you’ll need it, but if you do you’ll be ready.  I personally like to use a mid size plastic container with latches and a carry handle.  You want your box to be roomy enough to store all of your supplies, a solar blanket, and your CPR book.  It’s a good idea to tape your list of emergency contact numbers to the top of your box.  I buy an average sized first aid kit and then I add the items below if they are not included.

• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Neosporin
• Alcohol Wipes
• Tweezer
• Fingernail Clipper
• Safety Pins
• Sterile Gauze
• Adhesive Tape & Gauze Rolls
• Bandages in Multiple Sizes
• Self Sticking Elastic Bandages
• Tylenol – Child & Adult
• Thermometer
• Latex Gloves
• Flashlight & Batteries
• Solar and/or Fleece Blanket
• Your Emergency Numbers

If you were forced to rough it in an emergency situation or evacuate from your home how portable are your emergency supplies?   If the emergency shelters are full, you will quickly discover that you will need to provide a shelter for your family.  You can pack a tent or pack several tarps and a rope to rig up a temporary shelter.  Your shelter should be able to withstand the wind and rain.   Also, make sure that you have portable cooking equipment and a good lighter or matches. 

You should store your emergency gear and supplies in buckets, sealed bags and/or backpacks.  For many families this would mean hiking backpacks are best.  If you are evacuating by car you will want to be sure your emergency gear and your families emergency kits fit nicely in your car and don’t forget to consider the special needs of your family members.   Pre-planning is the key to your emergency plan and gear.

I live by a hazardous waste disposal plant.  It recently caught fiew and we had to evacuate.   Fortunately my family was too far away to be in any danger from the fire and the pollutants. However, I do know people who were evacuated from their homes as a result of the chemical fire. Below are four things you should do to prepare for this type of emergency.

#1.  Call your local government office to find out if there are chemical plants and hazardous waste facilities near your home.  If you at a very high risk of a disaster you may consider purchasing gas masks or smoke masks for your family.

#2.  You should prepare an emergency evacuation plan with the members of your family and prepare to meet out of the area with your basic emergency kit and cash.

#3.  You should be aware of your surrounding.  In this casepeople were asked to go door to door by the Police and turn off all air conditioners to limit the exposure to the chemicals in the smoke.  You will want to know which way the wind is blowing and drive away from the smoke to a safe meeting place.

#4. When you are allowed to go back to your home you most likely will be given specific cleaning instruction.  You may consider having an expert test your home for chemicals as some building may not reopen due to dangerous chemical levels.

The term ‘Hygiene’ suggests set of practices associated with preservation of health and living a healthy life. Hygiene correlates with personal and professional care practices followed at every aspects of healthy living. Hygiene could be of many types such as medicinal hygiene, body hygiene, dental hygiene, domestic hygiene, occupational hygiene and sanitary hygiene. Hygiene practices widely vary based on cultural variations. Although hygiene at every level is necessary for healthy living, sanitary hygiene is something that is promoting health by avoiding human contact with the hazards of waste. The term ’sanitary’ is derived from the word ‘Sanitation’. The term sanitation is applied to a particular concept, aspect, strategy or location for basic sanitation, on-site sanitation, food sanitation, environmental sanitation and ecological sanitation.

A good sanitary habit includes following hygienic practices. Poor sanitary habits can create health problems and the spread of diseases. A good sanitary habit can only be followed if the individual is supplied with proper sanitary supplies. Sanitary supplies are necessary in a crisis situation. There are hygiene supplies available in market that support you even when you are without water as a cleansing source for several days. Hygiene and sanitary supplies are the primary tools for achieving good health where elementary cleanliness is the basic criterion. Neglect of hygiene and sanitary issues result into problems and diseases of which we sometimes were not even aware of. Every body part demands attention at regular intervals, as far as cleansing them is concerned. Hygiene and sanitation also include proper grooming routines for hair, skin, hands, teeth, nails feet and menstrual hygiene.

Sometimes we complain about conditions that disturb our daily regimen appearing as a threat to personal hygiene. Some health conditions that can be controlled by improving personal hygiene include dandruff, head lice, ear wax, bad breath, perspiration, body odor, urinary infection, athletes foot and pinworms. There are sanitary supplies readily available in market that can well be used for both in crisis situations and also in daily hygiene. A good hygiene is the only method of preventing infections. One most effective method of preventing ourselves from illness is practicing good personal hygiene. Sanitary and hygiene is a wide concept which includes practices such as bathing, washing hair, brushing teeth, and cleaning clothes.

Below are some simple tips to follow in order to practice good hygiene.

Try to bathe at least twice a day using an antibacterial soap. This helps fight germs and body odor.

Always use a deodorant with zinc or aluminum. Make sure that the deo-spray you use is capable enough of fighting odor-causing bacteria.

Launder your clothes at frequent intervals

Clean clothes at home using some odor fighting detergent.

Avoid consuming spicy or smelly food.

Hygiene is not only associated with cleanliness, it also involves following a healthy diet along with good mental health. Hygiene also means being careful to your surrounding. Only a completely hygienic person can contribute to a healthy atmosphere.  In conclusion,  you should plan for your hygiene needs during an emergency or disaster by purchasing your own personal hygiene kit.

I’m a nurse.  When you are putting together your first aid kit you should include lots of pain reliever. 

Then add in antibiotic ointments like neosporin, antiseptic wipes, some small splits, lots of band aids, some ace bandages, a triangla bandage, adhesive tape, good sharp scissors, a tweezer, gause rolls, eye wash, insect repellent, and some hot and cold packs, thermometer, and some petroleum jelly.  If you are rendering care to someone you do not know add in rubber gloves and a CPR mouth piece.

Basically, purchase a really good trauma/first aid kit and then add in the items that you need in order to personalize it for your family.  Keep everything in a nice sturdy box that is not too heavy to carry.  I actually use the largest fishing tackle I can find and it works quite well. 

When there is a blackout the first thing one needs is a good hand crank emergency radio/flashlight combination.  With a hand crank system you will not have to worry about batteries.   When we lost power we were left in the dark, but the worst part was we didn’t know why.  The not knowing part is the worst part.  If we would have been able to tune into our local radio station or an emergency station then our family would not have felt so stressed.  The emergency radio flashlight is the first item I would buy and then build my emergency supplies from here.   

When you leave for work in the morning, you never know what the day is going to bring. Maybe they’ll be a freak ice storm, and you find yourself stuck on the freeway and unable to get home. Maybe you’ll be involved in a car accident, and you’ll be in need of emergency gear. We want to believe these kinds of things aren’t possible, because they’re unpleasant to think about. But the truth is that they do happen every day, and the best way we can deal with that is by being prepared.

That’s why you shouldn’t get in your car unless you’re stocked with any number of auto emergency kits. These can contain a variety of products, but the most extensive will have a first aid kit as well as a survival blanket, flashlight, batteries, spare food, and water. Whatever they possess, they might just prove a tremendous help if you ever do find yourself stuck in an unexpected and unpleasant situation.

Accidents do occur and sometimes when we are least alert. Surviving under such situations often blur the thin line between life and death. It is only after falling in such situations we realize the importance of life but find ourselves helpless to cope with such miseries. This happens due to being less informed about how to handle such emergencies and ignorance in using the adequate emergency supplies when it is highly required. Another important cause behind a disaster becoming worse is that either at that time we so not have access to disaster kits or the disaster supplies appear inadequate.

As in an emergency some medical supplies like antibiotic cream, insect repellent and bandages are essentially required, similarly situations may also appear where the use of emergency lighting and heating materials is equally demanded. A layman whose basic idea about a first aid kit is preparing a first aid box with basic medical supplies, may doubt the forget the need for emergency lighting and heating products in a disaster kit.

Emergency lighting and heating supplies are generally required as an essential item for outdoor first aid kits. Generally people who go for long outdoor excursions need emergency lighting and heating supplies which include emergency lights, solar blankets and solar sleeping bags. There are situations when you need lighting and heating equipments in your disaster kit to brave adverse climactic conditions.

Situations like your house becoming frost laden on cold winter nights or your car breaking down in the middle of nowhere on a windy winter night are the ideal examples when you direly need a lighting or heating solution. Hence, it is good to keep solar heating blankets and bags to fight the cold. Suppose you are in a place where the decreasing temperature is weakening your nerves, the use of solar blankets and solar sleeping bags is highly recommended.

A good solar blanket retains about 90% of body heat. You can feel the warmth by wrapping yourself in a silver solar blanket. Solar blankets can also be used as a cooling medium, but also during sunny days when you are out on a trip. Using the solar blanket you can deflect the sun and keep your vehicle cooler by putting it in the windows directly facing the sun.

Portable water heaters are available and can be useed to quickly heat water. The pumps used in the water heater run on a rechargeable battery. So it is necessary to have a supportive infrastructure to recharge the battery anywhere, anytime. Other emergency heating products available in the market include hand warmers. These are very handy and can easily be kept in the first aid kits. These are only used to provide heat. Though candles are readily available for emergency lighting requirements, they need to be used with great care and only in places with proper ventilation. Therefore high powered flash lights and lanterns are best recommended for emergency use, with the newer solar flashlights and shack flashlights being very popular.

Your emergency lighting and heating products and the emergency supplies you select should be designed for your unique situation and use. Pre-planning is always the key.

Pet emergency preparedness is usally easy if you prepare in advance and have your supplies ready to go.  If you have a small pet, a carry bag for your pet is ideal as it can also serve as a shelter and a safe spot for your pet. 

The next thing you’ll need is a basic pet emergency kit, which should include a pet first aid kit, and enough food and water for a three day period, just like your emergency kit.

Accidents often happen when we least expect them. Sometimes specific, certain, unexpected, unusual and unintended accidents occur without any clear or conscious cause resulting in deep emotional and physical injury. It generally leads to negative consequences which may have been controlled or made less acute, had the circumstances leading to the mishap been recognized and worked upon before it actually occurred. Sometimes we regret being incompetent in controlling a situation from being worse. Don’t overlook the importance of a first aid kit in your day to day activity.

Acquiring a first aid kit with a few extra supplies does not cost a fortune. You can easily spend a minimal amount of money in buying something which is highly necessary to evade any minor or major casualty in your life. Although no first aid kit can have supplies to handle all major medical troubles that occurs suddenly; a properly accumulated first aid kit can handle all emergency situations, or enable the victim to survive till expert medicare arrives.

What are the basic contents of an ideal first aid kit is a matter of choice. The content selection should always depend on the possible severity of a situation and the type of injury. It also depends on when and where the supplies are to be used. Like putting together a basic first aid kit for travel purpose differs from the one to be used at home. Outdoor and indoor first aid kits with all emergency preparedness supplies are readily available in market. Below is a simple list of first aid supplies required in every first aid kit:

At the onset every first aid kit should have bandages, first aid tape, surgical razor, sterile pads, tweezers, disinfectant pads, aspirin and oxy-tetracycline tablets. Any material in the kit that surpasses the expiry date should immediately be disposed off from the first aid kit, and should be duly replaced.

Insect Repellents (advantageous during outdoor trips especially in village areas)

Feminine hygiene products

Antibiotic cream

Salt and Soap

Hand Sanitizer

Toilet paper

Epinephrine and antihistamines for allergy

Hydrogen peroxide

Sunscreen with high SPF factor at least 30 is recommended.

Rubbing alcohol

Suture Kit

CPR Mouth Piece

Vinyl Gloves

Generally the small first aid kits with limited emergency are sufficient for minor injuries where cuts and injuries only need to be cleansed or bandaged. Some advanced forms of trauma kits contain emergency supplies to control serious issues like defibrillator machines used for life threatening emergencies as heart attack. Defibrillator machines often save a life before the victim is treated by any medical expert. It is especially helpful in remote locations where medical support is not easily available. These custom made medical kits can also contain smelling salts to regain consciousness to those who are unconscious, burn ointment, poison control for accidental inhalation, thermometer to detect body temperature, eye wash solution, and an ice packs.

Although it is difficult to cover up the damage that comes after a disaster a well stocked medical kit with good emergency supplies can successfully prevent a situation becoming worse. So take some time from your busy schedule and assemble your first aid kit and first aid supplies as nothing costs more than the loss of life.