# So, what should a home emergency kit contain? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-a-home-emergency-kit-contain/319692 "2005-09-02T03:14:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-a-home-emergency-kit-contain/319692/61 "2005-09-04T18:55:07Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > So either you’ve got Epi-Pens laying around in your emergency shelter kit that are A) legally prescribed and B) not expired ( according to the Pharmacist I just spoke with, their shelflife is roughly 12-18 months), or you might need to just cross epinephrine off that list. From personal experience - it’s not that hard to get a script for one of these. Then again, I have kick-butt allergies. > [@](#): > > Benadryl, as I mentioned in my list, is a reasonable substitute and is an over-the-counter medication readily available in most if not all states in the USA. Except it doesn’t work nearly as fast. If you have _severe_ allergies the Epi-pen can’t be beat, but yes, the Benedryl works for everyone. A pharmacist co-worker told me a couple years ago that the children’s “fast melt” tablets get into your system faster, but I have no way to confirm this, and don’t take it as medical advice. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-a-home-emergency-kit-contain/319692/62 "2005-09-04T19:11:33Z")
> [@Ragiel](#): > > Primatene mist delivers 0.22 mg of epinephrine per dose, as opposed to 0.3 for an adult epi-pen and 0.15 for the junior strength. Absorption through the lung capillaries should be as fast as the subcutaneous ones. [Johnny Carson] I did not know that [/Johnny Carson] Huh. > [@](#): > > Problems: if the victim is not accustomed to using an inhaler, it may not be easy to get the full amount into the lungs, and if the reaction is compromising breathing, it may be impossible. Very good point. But what you’re saying is that what’s in Primatene Mist is what’s in an epi-pen, just a different dose and means of delivery? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-a-home-emergency-kit-contain/319692/63 "2005-09-05T00:33:04Z")
> [@rainy](#): > > I’m a (relatively new) beekeeper and have been told by others in our beekeeping club that you can go to your doctor and tell them you want to have a pen on hand in case anyone gets stung on your property and they don’t have their own pen. If this is true (I haven’t tried to do so yet, but should) could you explain your need to your doctor and get a prescription for one? > > -rainy Good question. State laws vary wildly, of course. In NY State where I live, I can tell you that you have to have a prescription. Furthermore, there are a few very specific exceptions to the prescription law and they are covered by NYS DOH ( Department of Health ) statutes. I can’t find the code numbahs, but here is what they allow: Licensed summer camps may be sold Epi-Pens. The camp nurse ( always a licensed R.N. ) keeps it under lock and key. He/She dispenses it. Quickly of course. 🙂 Ambulance corps’ that are State Certified ( look for the large NYS DOH blue sticker showing they are a State Certified EMS Provider ) may get Epi-Pens. They obtain them from their Medical Control Director- usually the head of the E.D. in a local hospital. That Dr. prescribes a set amount of Epi-Pens, which are kept locked in the ambulance till such time as they are needed. Periodically they are returned to the hospital, accounted for and fresh ones are prescribed and dispense. In Gawjah, you may well be allowed to obtain an Epi-Pen over the counter, or by going to a Dr. and asking for one as you have described. It’s surely worth a shot. If anyone’s gonna be bitten, it’s beekeepers. However in NYS, you have to have a Dr. know that you yourself are in danger of anaphylaxic response to the allergin exposure of a bee sting. Or, for that matter, the panoply of other allergins out there that cause anaphylaxis. Right off the top of my head, I can cite peanuts, sesame oil, shellfish, seafood in general, dairy and strawberries . These are all from personal experience either as an EMT seeing reactions or from family members who suffer. The sesame oil was scary. Long before I was an EMT, I used to self-inject allergy shots. With the vials came a vial of epinephrine, in case for some odd reason I went into anaphylaxis after self-injecting. A few doors down was a pal and his girlfriend. He KNEW he was dangerously allergic to sesame. He ordered a gyro, and asked for yoghurt sauce. Instead they put on tahini. He got home, unwrapped and took a big bite. He spit it out but that didn’t matter. His gf called me in a panic. I told her to call 911 and I called my allergist, who advised me/ gave me permission to use the entire vial of epinephrine on my buddy. Within 2 minutes I was at their door, needle and vial in hand. Shot him full of it, ambulance arrived maybe 4 or 5 min later. The ER nurse informed me I saved his life. By the time the ambulance showed up, his airway would have swollen shut. -sigh- Scary stuff, allergins. An item I’d add to the kits folks are listing ( trying to respect the OP a little bit here 😃 ). Solar powered battery chargers. They exist, Campmor sells them. They supply enough to charge one or two small batteries. Enough for a cel phone, and/or a radio or walkie-talkie. After a storm or other emergency passes, it might well be the best way to insure you have outside communications. Battery operated CB radio might be a good thing too- they’re ALWAYS monitored and do not require Cellular towers to function. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-a-home-emergency-kit-contain/319692/64 "2005-09-05T02:04:26Z")
[Here](http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_3_,00.html) are the recomendations of the American Red Cross. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-a-home-emergency-kit-contain/319692/65 "2005-09-05T05:26:44Z")
One thing that always bothers me about the whole idea of being well-prepped for a disaster is what you should do, or could bring yourself to do, when your unprepared neighbors start to come around. A ‘ten day supply’ of food for your family of two pretty much vanishes if twenty other people need to eat, but how can you refuse to share? Could you ever face them again afterwards? And as far as guns and self defense, it’s one thing to shoot at an unknown ‘looter’, another when it’s the guy from down the block who gave you a jump start last winter. ☹ Luckily, some things are more sharable than others. Around here, the most likely disaster is the winter storm/no power scenario. If that strikes, there’s no reason not to let the neighbors in. Heck, the more warm bodies the better. And it takes a looooong time for lack of food to turn into a real problem. Anecdote: we actually had a trial run of this situation, in a minor way (power restored in a little under two days) when I was a teenager. As it happened, we were one of only a couple of houses in the neighborhood that had a gas stove, so we had four families come over to join us. They brought along food and blankets, we cooked rather exotic improvised ‘stews’ out of the assortment, and everyone sat around telling stories and playing games. We kids thought it was the greatest ‘campout’ ever. I remember that the main floor – where everybody stayed – was so warm we never had to use the fireplace. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-a-home-emergency-kit-contain/319692.md?page=3)