The power goes out at night. Your phone is at 12%, the street is dark, and nobody at home is sure where the flashlight is. Most of us picture ourselves calm and ready in that moment. The numbers say otherwise. In a 2023 US survey of 7,604 adults, 51% said they felt prepared for a disaster, but only 37% had made a plan in the past year, 48% had put together or updated supplies, and 15% had practised an emergency drill [1]. Feeling ready and being ready are two different things.
This guide closes that gap. It is written for any household, of any size and on any budget, that wants to get through a flood, a storm, a long power cut or an order to leave home with less panic and less harm. It is not about fear. A review of 35 studies on what makes households prepare found that seeing the risk clearly, and believing that your own actions will make a difference, are what move people to act [6]. Being prepared is a way of caring for the people you live with.
The plan follows the three steps that emergency agencies teach households around the world: know the risks, make a plan, and get a kit [3] [7]. It turns them into five skills, plus a short routine that keeps them working:
- Know your top 3 local risks, and make sure emergency alerts reach your phone.
- Write a household plan: 2 meeting places, 1 out-of-area contact, and shut-offs everyone can find.
- Store at least 72 hours of water, food, light and medicine at home.
- Pack grab-and-go bags and practise getting out in under 10 minutes.
- Get through a power outage without carbon monoxide or fire.
This Expert version goes deeper on each skill: why it works, the exact numbers, what to do when it does not work in your home, how it changes for different households, and how to measure your progress.
Why households fall short, and what actually helps
Before the steps, it helps to know why so many careful people still end up unprepared, because each step below is designed around these traps.
Trap 1: "Somebody else will handle it." The same review of 35 studies found that trust in government can make households passive when people hand over all the responsibility to authorities [6]. Emergency services do come, but in a large event they go first to people in urgent danger. That is why agencies ask households to be able to look after themselves for at least 72 hours [2].
Trap 2: "We'll learn it when we need it." Courses and leaflets alone do little. A meta-analysis of 17 studies of household preparedness programmes found a small positive effect on preparedness actions, no clear effect on supplies or knowledge, and very low certainty in the evidence [8]. Reading this guide is a start, but the gains come from doing each step, on a date, with the people you live with.
Trap 3: "The map says we're safe." Official hazard maps are a starting point, not a promise. After the 2011 tsunami in Japan, the city of Kamaishi credited its school disaster education with showing that survival skills can be taught, and one of its three core lessons was "Do not believe in the assumptions" [9]. International key messages say the same thing in plain words: expect the unexpected [3].
What helps. People prepare when they understand the risk, feel able to act, and see that the action works [6]. So each step below has a clear reason, a small first action you can finish today, and a way to check that it worked.
Step 1: Know Your Top 3 Risks and Get the Alerts
Why it matters. A flood, a wildfire, an earthquake and an ice storm each need different preparations. If you know which ones are most likely where you live, you prepare for those first instead of trying to prepare for everything at once. The first household message in international key messages is to learn about the possible hazards, local emergency plans and warning systems in the places where you live, work, study and play, and to identify hazards and weak points in your own home and surroundings [3]. Canada's plan opens the same way: learn about the emergencies that could happen where you live [7].
The mechanism. Risk perception is one of the strongest drivers of preparation [6]. Naming 3 specific risks turns a vague worry into a short to-do list, and that makes acting feel possible.
- Open the website of your city, county, province or state emergency management office. Look for a page called "hazards", "risks" or "emergency plan". Write down the 3 hazards it lists as most likely or most serious for your area.
- Look up your address on the official flood or hazard map for your country or region, if one exists. Kamaishi's schools taught children to use hazard maps but never to treat them as the limit of what could happen [9].
- Walk around your home and note weak points: a basement that takes on water, tall trees close to the house, heavy shelves that could fall, a single exit from a top-floor flat [3].
- Check your work, school and childcare sites too. Learn their emergency plans and how they would contact you [3].
- Open your phone's settings (often under Notifications, Safety or Wireless Emergency Alerts) and check that emergency alerts are switched on.
- Write down the frequency of your local emergency radio station, so you can still get news when the phone network and power are down [3].
How phone alerts work. Many countries now send emergency alerts by cell broadcast. They reach every compatible phone in the danger area, with no sign-up. In the UK, for example, the government does not need your phone number or location to send you an alert; the alert can make a loud siren-like sound for about 10 seconds even if the phone is on silent, and it is based on where you are, not where you live [10]. Alerts like these are free, but they only help if the setting is on and the phone is charged. Sign-up services matter too: in the US, the share of adults who had signed up for alerts and warnings fell from 46% in 2022 to 36% in 2023 [1]. Your city, utility or weather service may run its own text or app alerts for floods, outages and boil-water notices, which the national system may not send.
Take every warning seriously. International key messages ask households to take warnings seriously even when they are frequent, to watch for changes because risk can grow after a first warning, and to follow evacuation instructions without hesitation [3].
When it does not work.
- No local hazard page? Use your regional or national emergency agency, or your national weather service, and note the hazards they warn about most often for your region.
- Your phone has no alert setting. Older phones may not support cell broadcast. The UK service notes that people without a compatible device will still be warned by emergency services in other ways [10]; in that case, a battery or crank radio and a local text alert service become your main tools.
- You rent or move often. Redo this step at every move. Your top 3 risks belong to the address, not to you.
Special groups. If someone in your home is deaf or hard of hearing, check the accessibility options of your national alert service and your phone (vibration and flash). If someone does not read the main local language well, look for alert services in their language.
Expected result. Within a day, you can name your top 3 risks, you know your emergency radio station, and official warnings will reach your phone.
Step 2: Make Your Household Plan
Why it matters. In an emergency, families get split up: one person at work, a child at school, phone lines jammed. A written plan that everyone knows removes the guessing. It also gives children, older relatives and anyone who needs help a clear role.
The core parts. International key messages ask households to agree on safe meeting places inside the house, outside the house and outside the neighbourhood, and to choose a main and a backup out-of-area contact to act as the family's information centre [3]. Canada's plan asks you to list contacts close by and out of town, safe exits from your home and neighbourhood, a safe meeting place such as a community centre, library or school, and the location of your fire extinguisher, water valve, electrical panel, gas valve and floor drain [7].
- Download the free household plan form from your emergency agency, or use a sheet of paper. Fill it in together at one sitting; it takes about an hour [7].
- Meeting place 1: right outside the home, for a sudden event like a fire (a neighbour's gate, a lamp post, a tree across the street).
- Meeting place 2: outside the neighbourhood, for when you cannot get home or the area is closed, such as a library, community centre or school [7].
- A safe spot inside the home for events where you shelter in place [3].
- Out-of-area contact: a relative or friend in another city or country. Everyone sends that person one short text with their status, instead of calling each other. International key messages advise keeping phone use to a minimum in a disaster, using short text messages rather than voice calls, and sending just one short message to your out-of-area contact [3]. Choose a backup contact too.
- Health and contact cards: make one for each person, carried at all times, especially by children away from home and anyone with particular needs [3].
- School and childcare: give the school written permission for at least one backup adult to collect your children [3].
- Pets: note where your pets could stay, such as kennels or friends' homes [7].
- Keep a copy in each grab-and-go bag, one with your out-of-area contact, and a photo on every phone [3].
The shut-off walk. This is the part most plans skip. International key messages ask you to learn where, when and how to turn off water, gas and electricity, to keep a clear path to each one, and to keep a wrench or other tool nearby if one is needed [3]. Do it as a walk:
- Find the main water shut-off (often where the water pipe enters the home, in a basement, under the kitchen sink or in a box near the street). Label it.
- Find the electrical panel or fuse box. Label the main switch.
- Find the gas meter and valve, if you have gas. Label it and tie or store the right tool beside it [3].
- Walk every adult and teen to each one. Each person points to it and says what it controls.
- Move boxes or furniture that block the path.
When to use the shut-offs. After a disaster, international key messages advise turning off the main water valve if you suspect damage [3], and turning off electricity, gas and water if officials tell you to [3]. Do not turn the gas off just to practise. If you smell gas, get everyone out first and call from outside. What to do about a gas leak is covered in its own article (see Go further).
A support network. If anyone in your home will need help to leave, such as an older adult, a person with a disability or someone recovering from surgery, international key messages advise naming neighbours, friends or co-workers who will help, and making sure they know how to use any personal equipment [3]. Name at least two people, so there is a backup if one is away. Canada's plan also asks that older family members and people with special needs be part of the plan from the start [7].
When it does not work.
- Nobody wants to sit down for it. Do the shut-off walk first. It takes 10 minutes and is hands-on; the paperwork is easier after.
- You live alone. The plan matters even more. Choose a neighbour as your support person and an out-of-area contact who will notice if you go quiet.
- Shared building. Ask the building manager where the shut-offs are and what the building's evacuation plan is. You may not be allowed to use the shut-offs yourself, but you should know who can.
- Shared custody or two homes. Each home needs its own meeting place 1. The out-of-area contact can stay the same.
Expected result. Within a week, everyone at home can say where to meet, who to text and where the shut-offs are.
Step 3: Store Water, Food, Light and Medicine for 72 Hours
Why it matters. In a big disaster, water, power and shops can be out for days. Canada asks households to be ready to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours [2]. Tokyo's estimate for a major earthquake under the city is sharper: power and communications out for about 4 days, water and sewage for about 21 days, and city gas for about 42 days, with up to 10 million people expected to keep living at home under those conditions [11]. 72 hours is the floor, not the goal.
Water: the numbers. Canada advises about 4 litres of water per person per day [2]. International key messages split this as about 2 litres for drinking and 2 for sanitation [3]. The World Health Organization's emergency technical note explains why the number moves: survival needs for drinking and food are 2.5 to 3 litres per person per day, basic hygiene 2 to 6 litres and basic cooking 3 to 6 litres, depending on climate, body and food [12].
So for 72 hours:
| Household | Water at 4 L per person per day |
|---|---|
| 1 person | 12 litres |
| 2 people | 24 litres |
| 4 people | 48 litres |
Store more for hot weather, for anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or ill, and for pets [3] [12]. Keep it in clean, closed containers and replace stored water every 6 months [3].
Food. Choose food that does not need a fridge and that your household already eats: tins, dry goods, nut butters, crackers, dried fruit. Add baby formula or pet food if needed, and a manual can opener [2]. Plan for babies' and others' special diets [3].
Building it without a big shop. Tokyo's "daily stockpile" idea suits a 72-hour stock: buy a little more of the food and daily items you already use, keep that extra on hand, and eat and replace it in order of purchase [11]. Nothing expires unseen at the back of a cupboard, and nothing is bought that nobody will eat.
Light, power and news. Canada's basic kit includes a flashlight, a radio and spare batteries (or wind-up versions), chargers for mobile devices, and a corded phone if you have a landline [2]. Aim for one flashlight per person.
Medicine. Keep prescription medicines, and if possible enough to last a couple of weeks [2]. Aim for at least a week as your first target. Add any special equipment for people with limited mobility, glasses or spare contact lenses, and a written list of each person's medicines and doses [2] [3].
The rest of the kit. A first aid kit, cash, copies of important documents, and a copy of your emergency plan and contact list [2]. International key messages also list a whistle, plastic bags and ties for sanitation, a dust mask, work gloves, sturdy shoes and bedding [3].
- This week, buy or fill water containers for 3 days for everyone at home (see the table).
- Each time you shop, add 2 or 3 long-life items you already eat. In 3 to 4 weeks you will have 3 days of food.
- Put one flashlight in every bedroom, with spare batteries in the kit.
- Ask your pharmacist how to get a little extra of each regular medicine and how to store it.
- Store everything in one place everyone knows, close to an exit if possible [2].
- Check and replace food, water, batteries and medicines at least once a year [2]; international key messages suggest checking food dates every 6 months [3].
When it does not work.
- Not enough money. Start with what is free: tap water in clean bottles, and the plan from Step 2. Then add a few items per shop. The rolling method costs almost nothing extra over time, because you eat what you store [11].
- Not enough space. Split the stock: water under beds, food in a kitchen box, light and radio in the grab-and-go bags. A small flat can still hold 3 days.
- Medicines your insurer will only fill monthly. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about an early refill or a small emergency supply; refill as soon as you are allowed so a buffer builds up.
- Medicines that must stay cold. Ask your pharmacist how long each one stays safe out of the fridge, and write it on your medicine list.
Storing for 2 weeks or more has its own article (see Go further).
Expected result. In 3 to 4 weeks, you have at least 72 hours of water, food, light and medicine at home, and a routine that keeps it fresh.
Step 4: Pack Grab-and-Go Bags and Practise Leaving
Why it matters. When an order to leave comes, minutes count. People lose them hunting for keys, documents and medicines. A packed bag by the door and a practised route turn a scramble into a routine.
What goes in. Keep it short: water and high-energy food, a radio and flashlight, first aid supplies and prescription medicines, a change of clothes and sturdy shoes, emergency contacts, copies of vital records, and cash [3]. Canada advises keeping the kit easy to carry, in a backpack, duffel bag or wheeled suitcase in an easy-to-reach place like a front-hall closet, making sure everyone knows where it is, and splitting supplies into individual backpacks so each person carries their own [2]. The skill here is speed: one bag each, by the door, and a drill. Detailed gear choices have their own article (see Go further).
- Pack one bag per person. An adult's bag holds the water, food and documents; a child's bag holds a change of clothes, a snack, a contact card and one comfort item, and must be light enough for the child to carry.
- Put a few days of each person's medicines in their bag and keep the rest in the home kit from Step 3.
- Keep the bags near the main exit, together, where everyone can find them in the dark [2].
- Keep a pet carrier, leash and a few days of pet food with the bags. International key messages advise taking pets or service animals with you if possible [3].
The timed drill. International key messages advise evacuation drills, including at home, at least twice a year, with every member of the household [3]. Only 15% of US adults had practised an emergency drill in the past year [1]. Here is how to run one:
- Pick a time when everyone is home. Announce "drill" and start a timer.
- Everyone grabs their bag, phone and shoes. One adult gets the pets.
- Everyone walks out by the main exit to meeting place 1.
- Stop the timer when the last person arrives.
- Talk for 5 minutes: what slowed you down? Fix it before the next drill.
- Once a year, drive or walk the route to meeting place 2.
The 10-minute target. Aim for everyone out with their bags in under 10 minutes. This is a practical target that most households can reach with packed bags, not a tested standard. Agencies' message is simpler: if you are advised to evacuate, leave immediately [3].
When it does not work.
- The drill takes 25 minutes. Write down what took longest. It is almost always one of four things: shoes, keys, medicines or a pet. Give each a fixed place by the door.
- A teen refuses to join. Give them a real job: timekeeper, pet handler or the one who checks that the stove is off.
- A family member uses a wheelchair or walker. Time the drill with the support person from Step 2, and check the route for steps, kerbs and narrow doors.
- You live in a high-rise. Practise with the stairs, and learn your building's own evacuation plan.
Special groups. Children cope better when the drill is calm and short; talking to kids about emergencies has its own article (see Go further). For a person with dementia, keep their bag the same each time and include a recent photo and their health card.
Expected result. Everyone can leave with what they need, and you know how long it really takes: your first time is your baseline.
Step 5: Get Through a Power Outage Safely
Why it matters. In an outage, the dark is not the main danger. Carbon monoxide (CO) and fire are. CO is a gas you cannot see or smell. A review of 28 reports on US disasters between 1991 and 2009 found 1,888 cases of disaster-related CO poisoning and 75 deaths. Generators were the main source in 83% of deaths, two-thirds of those because the generator was placed indoors, and charcoal grills were a major source during winter storms. Most deaths (94%) happened at home, and almost 89% of deaths happened within 3 days of the disaster starting [5]. The danger is greatest in the first days, when people are tired, cold and improvising.
The rules.
- Light: use battery flashlights or lanterns, not candles. International key messages advise extinguishing all flames in an outage, never lighting a flame (including matches, cigarettes or candles) after a disaster, and using only battery lights until you are sure there is no escaping gas or spilt fuel [3]. Never leave any candle burning unattended [3].
- Generators: use them outside only, at least 20 feet (about 6 metres) from homes, with the exhaust pointing away. Never use one inside a home or garage, even with the doors and windows open [4]. More than 100 deaths a year in the US are linked to portable generators [4]. Never refuel a generator indoors [3].
- Cooking and heat: never use a barbecue, charcoal grill or camp stove indoors or in a garage [5], and never use a kitchen oven to heat the home [3].
- CO alarms: install battery-operated CO alarms, or alarms with a battery backup, on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas; interconnected alarms are best, because when one sounds they all sound [4]. A plug-in alarm with no battery stops working exactly when the power goes out.
Know the signs. The signs of CO poisoning look like the flu: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness and confusion [4]. If the alarm sounds or you suspect poisoning, get everyone outside to fresh air at once, then call your emergency number [4].
- Tonight, put a flashlight in every bedroom.
- This week, check each level of your home for a CO alarm with a battery or battery backup, and install one where it is missing [4]. Press the test button.
- If you own a generator, decide now where outside it will stand, at least 6 metres from doors, windows and vents [4]. Choosing and running backup power has its own article (see Go further).
- Put the camp stove and barbecue fuel in the outdoor storage, with a note: "Outside only."
- Keep phones charged when storms are forecast, and use text rather than calls to save the battery [3].
- Keep the fridge and freezer closed. After the outage, check refrigerated food, and if in doubt, throw it out [3]. Food and medicine safety in long outages has its own article (see Go further).
- List every device in your home that needs power: oxygen, a CPAP machine, a powered wheelchair, a medicine fridge, a sump pump. Backup power for each of these has its own article (see Go further).
When it does not work.
- It is very cold and you are tempted to use the stove or barbecue for heat. Don't. Gather everyone in one small room, close its door, add layers and blankets, and go to a warming centre or a friend's home with power if it goes on. Staying warm or cool in a long outage has its own article (see Go further).
- You rent and cannot fix alarms to the walls. Ask the landlord in writing. Until then, a battery-only alarm can sit on a shelf on each level.
- The CO alarm chirps. Check the label or manual for what the chirp means, then replace the battery or the alarm; never just remove it.
Special groups. If someone relies on powered medical equipment, tell your power company and your doctor now, before the next outage.
Expected result. You can get through an outage with light, clean air and no open flames, and every level of your home has a working CO alarm.
Step 6: Keep It Ready With a Twice-a-Year Check
Why it matters. A plan made once and forgotten fails quietly. Food and water expire, batteries go flat, phone numbers change and children grow out of the shoes in their bags. Agencies advise replacing items that expire at least once a year [2], replacing stored water every 6 months [3], and running home evacuation drills at least twice a year [3]. One check twice a year covers all of these.
Pick fixed dates. Two dates that already exist in your year work best, such as the spring and autumn clock changes, a birthday and a half-birthday, or Tokyo's Stockpile Day on 19 November plus one in spring [11]. Put both in everyone's calendar.
- Risks and alerts (Step 1): any new hazard, move or job? Alerts still on in every phone? Radio station still right?
- Plan (Step 2): contacts and phone numbers still correct? Meeting places still open? Each person can point to the shut-offs?
- Supplies (Step 3): swap water, eat and replace the oldest food, check medicine dates, replace batteries.
- Bags (Step 4): clothes and shoes still fit? Documents and cash still in? Then run the timed drill.
- Outage (Step 5): press the test button on every CO alarm and every flashlight.
Track your score. Score your household out of 10, one point each: top 3 risks known, alerts on, written plan, out-of-area contact, shut-offs known by every adult and teen, 72 hours of water, 72 hours of food and light, a week of medicines, grab-and-go bags drilled, CO alarm on every level. Score it on day 1, then on days 7, 21 and 60, then at each twice-a-year check. A good goal is 10 out of 10 by day 60. Write the scores on the back of your plan, so you can see the trend.
Expected result. Your plan stays ready all year, and each check takes less time than the last.
A sample first month
You do not need to do it all at once. Here is one way to spread it out:
- Day 1: Step 1 (risks, alerts, radio station) and score yourself.
- Week 1: Step 2 (the plan and the shut-off walk); flashlight in every bedroom; check CO alarms.
- Weeks 2 to 4: Step 3, a few items per shop; water bought in week 2.
- Week 4: Step 4 (pack the bags) and the first timed drill.
- Day 60: score again. Book your two yearly check dates.
Myths
Myth: "I feel prepared, so I'm prepared." In the US survey, 51% felt prepared, but only 37% had made a plan and 15% had practised a drill [1]. Feeling ready is not a plan. Score yourself out of 10 instead.
Myth: "The government will take care of everything." Help comes, but not to everyone at once. Agencies ask households to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours [2], and leaving all responsibility to the authorities tends to make households passive [6].
Myth: "A generator in the garage is fine if the door is open." Never use a portable generator inside a home or garage, even with doors and windows open [4]. Generators caused 83% of disaster CO deaths in the US review, two-thirds of them because of indoor placement [5].
Generators caused 83% of disaster CO deaths in the US review, two-thirds of them because of indoor placement [[5]].
Myth: "Candles are fine for a few hours." International key messages advise using only battery lights in an outage and never lighting any flame after a disaster until you are sure there is no gas or fuel leak [3].
Myth: "We're outside the flood zone, so we don't need a plan." Maps show likely risks, not every possible one. Kamaishi's schools taught children not to believe in the assumptions [9], and international key messages say to expect the unexpected [3].
FAQ
Why 72 hours? It is the minimum time agencies ask households to cope on their own, while responders reach the people in urgent danger [2]. In a large event it can be much longer: Tokyo plans for 4 days without power and 21 without piped water after a major quake [11]. Start with 3 days, then build to 7.
How much water should I store? About 4 litres per person per day [2]: about 2 to drink and 2 for cooking and washing [3]. Drinking needs alone are 2.5 to 3 litres a day and rise with heat [12], so store more in summer and for anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or ill.
Do preparedness courses work? The evidence is thin. A meta-analysis of 17 studies found a small positive effect on preparedness actions, no clear effect on supplies or knowledge, and very low certainty [8]. The lesson: take the actions yourself, one step at a time, instead of waiting for a course.
I can't afford a full kit. What first? The free parts: check alerts, write the plan, do the shut-off walk, fill clean bottles with tap water. Then add 2 or 3 food items each shop and eat them in order of purchase [11].
Do I need a CO alarm if I don't own a generator? Yes, if your home has any fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage, and because during an outage neighbours' generators and your own improvised heat or cooking are the risks. Battery or battery-backup alarms on every level are the advice [4].
What if we're split up when it happens? That is what the plan is for: meeting place 2, and one short text to the out-of-area contact [3]. Make sure the school knows who else may collect your children [3].
Skill Check
| Skill | Starting | Solid | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Risks and alerts | Not sure of the local risks | 3 risks named and alerts on in every phone | Also signed up for one local alert service and know your outage radio station |
| Household plan | Some people know the plan | Every adult knows the 2 meeting places, the out-of-area contact and the shut-offs | Every adult and teen does, and each child knows the address and meeting place |
| Days of supplies | Your first count | 3 days (72 hours) of water and food, pets included | 7 days or more, rotated |
| Grab-and-go drill | Your first time, or no bags yet | Everyone out with bags in under 10 minutes | Under 10 minutes, practised twice a year |
| Outage safety | Candles and no CO alarm | A flashlight in every bedroom and a working CO alarm on every level | Also a written backup plan for every device that needs power, alarms tested at each check |
Doctor's Note
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if anyone at home takes daily medicines, needs medicines kept cold, or relies on powered medical equipment such as oxygen or a CPAP machine. Ask how to keep an extra supply (if possible, a couple of weeks [2]) and what to do if the power is out for days. If anyone has headache, dizziness, nausea, sleepiness or confusion during an outage, think of carbon monoxide: get everyone outside first, then call for help [4].
Go further
- Carry the Right Kit Every Day: Pocket Kit, Get-home Bag and Go-bag covers go-bag gear in detail, such as water filters and food choices.
- Store Water and Food for Longer Emergencies, the Easy Way covers stocking for 2 weeks and more.
- Backup Power Without the Danger: Power Stations, Generators and Heaters in a Long Outage covers choosing and running backup power safely.
- Survive a City Disaster: Rubble, Floodwater, Gas Leaks and No Utilities covers what to do about a gas leak and floodwater.
- Act Instead of Freezing: Stay Calm and Step in During an Emergency covers why people freeze in a crisis and how to act.
- Plan for Everyone in Your Home: Babies, Older Adults, Disability and Pets covers each group's plan in depth.
- Get Kids Ready for Emergencies Without Scaring Them covers talking to children and practising together.
- Neighbours Helping Neighbours: Mutual Aid and Getting Your Street Ready for Emergencies covers building a street support list.
- Prevent the Common Home Emergencies: Fires, Falls, Poisoning and Drowning covers smoke alarms and everyday home fire safety.
- Your 8-Week Household Preparedness Plan turns all of this into a week-by-week schedule.
- Food and medicine safety in long outages, backup power for medical devices, and staying warm or cool when the power is out for days each have their own Environmental preparedness article.
This article shares publicly available information from credible sources for education only. It is not medical, legal or financial advice. Always follow instructions from local officials in an emergency, and talk to your doctor or a qualified professional about your own situation.
Get help now: if you are in danger, or a CO alarm sounds, get out and call your local emergency number (911 in Canada and the US, 999 or 112 in the UK, 112 in the EU, 000 in Australia). Follow evacuation orders from local officials. For help building a plan, contact your local emergency management office or Red Cross or Red Crescent society.
