What will you do when a catastrophe unfolds all around you?  When family and friends are injured, screaming for help, will you be able to help? When medical help is not available? Be ready for disaster by building an emergency medical kit. Building your kit will not be expensive, but will be essential when disaster strikes, whether in your backyard or on vacation in a remote location.

Most often a necessity when experiencing catastrophe is water.  Three-quarters of your body is water, and not drinking enough water causes dehydration. Dangerous symptoms of dehydration include feeling dizzy or lightheaded.  This can even result in you passing out. Your breathing and heart rate will become faster than normal, leading to crankiness and confusion.  Make sure water is part of your emergency medical kit.

Water should be the first thing to add to an inventory list.  Create a list including every item you want in your kit and use it to keep track of what is in the kit and what needs to be replaced.  Having an inventory list to help you keep your kit full will give you a feeling of assurance.

Medication should be included to treat pain, illness, and other medical complications which may arise. A common problem experience is allergies, so include a medication such as Epinephrin.  Pain medications such a Tylenol or Orajel can bring great relief. Antacids such a Tums can ease abdominal distress and let you feel much more comfortable. Decongestants can bring great relief when called for.  What could be of great importance are prescription medications, so keep a small supply in your kit.

The next purpose of your kit is to treat injuries, thus avoiding dire consequences which could otherwise result.  Hand sanitizer must be used before addressing any injury to prevent infection. Other necessary items include sterile eyewash, sterile solution to rinse wounds, and instant cold compresses.  Cloths or paper towels are great for drying an irrigated wound.

Antiseptic ointment, spray, or cream should be used to disinfect any open wound. Antibiotic ointment is required to keep wounds infection free and to speed healing.  Other ointments of value include hydrocortisone cream for ease skin irritation, and calamine lotion to cease itching due to an allergic reaction. 

Next prepare to bandage your wounds.  Gauze is another necessary item, and both pads and rolls will prove vital.  To keep gauze in place, include rolls of cloth adhesive tape, which is comfortable to wearer and easy to hand-tear to size.  Compression bandages (“ACE”) are greatly helpful in alleviate sprains and other injuries. Include several sizes (widths) for different applications (knees vs. fingers0.  Often useful is are trash bags for discarding of used and scrap bandages.

Complete your emergency medical kit with several useful hardware items. Include eye protection to prevent eye injury. Tweezers and scissors indispensable when cleaning and bandaging wounds, as well as a myriad of other tasks. A flashlights and batteries often prove critical during the night.  Also include a prepackaged emergency thermal blanket to treat hypothermia.  

Having an emergency medical kit will provide safety and comfort when you need it.  Finish your kit up by selecting a container large enough to hold all the items you want.  Make sure it is well organized to secure all items in a stabile manner.  This will make it easier to finding items, and keeping inventory will be a breeze.