In this day and age, I strongly feel it’s imperative that that everyone take steps that can help with survival during a catastrophe—whether it’s a power outage, natural disaster, or a terrorist attack.
Clean Drinking Water Is a Must-Have
One of your greatest needs in times of disaster is drinking water. Humans can go for a month without food, but only a couple days without water.
Most people think that going out to a store and buying large quantities of bottled water is their best—or only—option, but that’s not the case. A better idea is to keep several boxes of new, clean, white trash bags on hand. Place opened bags in your empty dresser drawers, cardboard boxes, and other empty containers (anything that will help support the bag once you fill it with water). Then, take each container to the bathtub and fill the bag with water from the tap while you still have electricity and water pressure. (Just be sure you don’t fill the bag so full that you won’t be able to lift the supporting container out of the tub.) Using this method, it’s easy to store several hundred gallons in a relatively short period of time.
My Favorite Non-Perishable Food
Even though you can survive for a month without food, it is a good idea to have some non-perishable food readily available. Any non-perishable food will do (such as canned soups and vegetables), but the one I recommend above all others is sardines.
Sardines are not only non-perishable—they are also a healthy “meal in a can.” They are particularly good sources of omega-3 oils, vitamin D, and calcium.
An Emergency Radio Is Essential
Another basic piece of equipment (along with flashlights and rechargeable batteries) that I consider vital in any disaster or emergency situation is a radio. Look for a hand-crank–powered radio. Some even include other handy options such as built-in LED flashlights and cell phone chargers.
Natural Treatments for Wounds or Injuries
Wounds or injuries turn nasty quickly in a toxic environment. During a widespread disaster it may be difficult to receive prompt medical treatment. Fortunately, there is a simple step you can take now to protect yourself and your family: make sure you have a first-aid kit stocked and ready. In addition to typical first-aid items, such as bandages and scissors, I recommend adding these natural products that can help disinfect and heal wounds.
Honey
Honey is undoubtedly one of nature’s most miraculous dressings for open wounds, ulcers, and burns. It has been used successfully to treat all types of wounds, including burns, amputations, bed sores, leg ulcers, surgical wounds, gunshot and trauma-induced wounds, including those to the skull and abdomen, cuts, abrasions, and puncture wounds.
Best of all, honey is easy to use. For deeper wounds and abscesses, honey is generally used to fill the cavity after it has been cleaned. On smaller wounds and on larger ones that have been filled with honey, a top dressing is applied. This is done using approximately 1 ounce of honey on a 4-inch square dressing pad. The pad is then applied directly to the wound. A second, dry dressing is placed on top of the first dressing and secured with adhesive tape.
Changing the dressing once daily is usually all that is required. If the wound initially produces a large amount of exudate, then more frequent changes may be necessary. Once the wound has no more exudate, the honey dressing may only need to be changed once every five days to a week.
Instead of the heated, filtered varieties found in your grocery store, try the local, raw, unheated products generally found at health food stores, country fairs, fruit markets, et cetera. There are hundreds of different types, and just as many wonderful flavors to savor.
Papaya Pulp
Papaya pulp contains the proteolytic enzymes papain and chymopapain, and has been used for centuries to remove warts and other skin imperfections. Apparently the pulp has components that exhibit antimicrobial activity.
Doctors in the pediatric burn center at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Banjul, Gambia, Africa use pulp from the papaya fruit as a burn dressing. The pulp of the papaya is mashed and applied directly to burns. The children tolerate it well, and it has proven to be very effective at sloughing off dead tissue, preventing infections, and providing a clean wound for later skin grafts, if necessary. The pulp has also been applied to infected wounds with successful results. Papaya tablets are available in health food stores.
Stop Bleeding Fast
Hundreds of injuries result in rapid blood loss that can be life-threatening. Estimates are that each year about 60,000 people bleed to death in this country, and tens of thousands more lose enough blood to require a transfusion. Even bleeding from less-serious cuts, nosebleeds, and abrasions can be difficult to stop at times. Compression wraps, ice, and elevating a wound can help, but not always.
The culinary spice turmeric has anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and antioxidant properties. A more reliable (but more expensive) alternative is a turmeric supplement concentrated and standardized for curcumin. Start with two or three capsules per day, and adjust the amount as needed.
Legally Stockpile Antibiotics
Antibiotics can be a literal life-saver. I’d love to tell you natural remedies are just as effective, but that’s not always the case. Without antibiotics, certain biological agents are deadly. Take anthrax, for example. There are no tested “cures” for this biological microbe other than antibiotics.
Unfortunately, in times of crisis, antibiotics could be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. That’s why I want you to be aware that you can get them without a prescription at “feed” or “farm and ranch” stores and from Internet veterinary and pet supply sources. Note: The vendors are not allowed to give you any information about these products for human use.
Veterinary and agricultural antibiotics are pharmaceutical grade and produced under the same standards as those for human use (and often at the exact same facility). Terramycin-343, a variety of the antibiotic tetracycline, was almost impossible to find immediately after 9/11. However, tetracycline can be purchased as oxytetracycline HCl from farm and ranch and feed supply stores. The dosage for an ill 100-pound person is half a teaspoon of Terramycin-343, mixed with a little water, twice a day for ten days. You can adjust the dosage upward or downward depending on the person’s weight.
Self-diagnosis and self-treatment are dangerous and certainly not the recommended or preferred course of action, and it’s best to follow the guidance and advice of your doctor. However, under certain circumstances, I wouldn’t hesitate to use animal antibiotics on myself or on my family. In a situation where the outcome without antibiotic treatment is fatal, I feel the risk involved with self-treatment is justifiable.
Be Prepared for Radiation Contamination
While most nuclear power plants are probably safe, the effects of accidental radiation leakage can often be felt hundreds of miles from the site. With the proliferation of nuclear power plants around the world, I would suggest that anyone living within 300 miles of a nuclear plant keep a bottle of supplemental iodine on hand.
Radioactive iodine is one of the particles most commonly absorbed from fallout. It is rapidly and easily absorbed and stored in the thyroid. If your thyroid is receiving and has stored adequate amounts of iodine, there will be far less chance that additional amounts of radioactive iodine will be absorbed. In the event of a fallout, immediately administer iodine drops to family members. During the first few days, when fallout is the greatest, give ten drops three times a day for adults, half that for children, and three drops a day for infants. After that, only one or two drops a day would be necessary.
Note: Never ingest antiseptic or topical iodine. Iosol is the only form of iodine I recommend for internal usage. You can often find Iosol by TPCS Distributors in larger health food stores.
Summary of Items to Include in Your Home Emergency Kit:
- Several boxes of new, clean, white trash bags and chlorine bleach (a quart in an unbreakable container) for purifying and storing drinking water
- A stash of non-perishable food such as sardines and nutritional bars
- A hand-cranked emergency radio (such as the Eton FR300) along with flashlights and rechargeable batteries, which can be used in the event of phone and/or power outages
- A standard first aid kit, with bandages, scissors, antiseptic wipes, et cetera, plus honey (two or three pounds in unbreakable containers) and/or papaya pulp for disinfecting and treating wounds
- Turmeric to stop bleeding fast
- Iosol (ingestible iodine), which can be administered in the event of a nuclear event
- PVC pipe and fuzzy material, which can be used for safe, natural pain relief
- A week’s worth of any essential medications or supplements readily available
