I can't imagine drinking the water in them, but that's just my hesitation.
I always carry a few when car camping. I've used them at Burning Man on a couple of people who sprained something - each worked long enough for the EMTs to arrive and haul the wounded off to better treatment. I'm hoping it kept swelling down.
I've used heat packs to keep warm at some events where it was uncomfortably cool but not exactly cold (San Francisco) and for muscle strain on myself.
I've got both heat and cold packs here at home, and that's likely where my survival situation will occur, due to earthquake. So if I can get to them, I'll have them; but I'm not carrying them around in evacuation kits. I think I'll put some in my survival van, though, now that you've reminded me.
-----
Euripides? Eumenides.