(For Homes and Apartments)
When the storm shutters are up and the power is down, you don’t just need bandages you need the right tools for the right emergencies. Here’s the perfect Florida household kit, designed with wilderness first aid in mind, because after a storm every injury becomes a remote emergency.
🧰 Core First Aid Essentials
- Assorted adhesive bandages (waterproof preferred for humid, flood-prone environments)
- Sterile gauze pads and rolled gauze
- Medical tape (cloth and waterproof)
- Elastic bandage wraps (Ace-style for sprains and strains)
- Triangular bandages (for slings, splints, and head wraps)
- Antiseptic wipes and alcohol pads
- Antibiotic ointment (triple antibiotic or povidone-iodine)
- Burn gel packets or aloe vera
- Tweezers, blunt-tip scissors, and safety pins
- Nitrile gloves (multiple pairs—latex-free)
- Digital thermometer
🌴 Florida-Specific Additions
- Waterproof dry bag to store the kit (prevents floodwater contamination)
- Electrolyte packets (heat and humidity dehydrate fast when AC is out)
- Mosquito repellent wipes/spray (mosquito-borne illnesses spike after storms)
- After-bite treatment for insect stings and bites
- Heavy-duty shears (to cut clothing or debris from wounds)
- CO detector with battery backup (for generator use in apartments)
- Cooling cloths/instant cold packs (essential in the Florida heat when power is down)
- Water purification tablets or small Sawyer filter (post-storm tap water can be compromised)
🌀 Trauma & Wilderness Gear (When Help is Delayed)
- Tourniquet (CAT or SOFTT-W—must be practiced before use)
- Israeli/pressure bandages
- SAM splint (lightweight, moldable splint)
- CPR face shield/mask
- Emergency blanket (reflective, doubles as ground barrier)
- Headlamp with extra batteries (hands-free for night treatment)
- Waterproof notebook & pencil (document injuries, vitals, meds for EMTs)
💊 Medications & Comfort
(Store in waterproof bags, rotate seasonally)
- Pain relievers: ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin (aspirin for cardiac emergencies)
- Antihistamines (loratadine or diphenhydramine for allergic reactions)
- Antacids (storm stress often brings GI upset)
- Anti-diarrheal tablets (flood-related illness prevention)
- Rehydration salts (pediatric and adult)
- Prescription medications (minimum 7-day supply)
- Inhalers, EpiPen, insulin, or other personal prescriptions
👨👩👧 Family/Apartment Customization
- Pediatric doses of pain relievers and antihistamines
- Extra prescription glasses or contact solution
- Pet first aid: tick remover, pet-safe antiseptic, extra leash
- Personal comfort: baby wipes, hand sanitizer, menstrual products
🧠 Pro Tips for Florida Families
- Double up: Keep one kit in the apartment/home and a smaller grab-and-go kit in your car or kayak bag.
- Rotate seasonally: Medications and ointments can expire fast in Florida humidity. Check every 6 months.
- Practice with kids: Scouting families already practice these skills. Let kids open bandages, use gauze, and understand where the kit lives. Familiarity breeds calm in emergencies. And sometime your kids will be the ones performing first aid on you.
- Label clearly: A kit is only useful if everyone in the family can find and use it.
Why Scouting America Fits Here
This isn’t just gear it’s training. A first aid kit is useless without knowledge. Scouts learn how to improvise, stabilize, and respond when the power is out and the streets are blocked. That’s why Scouting America remains one of the best gifts a parent can give a Florida youth.
Liquid Rhythm Adventures' Journal 