What to do in the first 15 minutes
The flash, the delay before the blast wave, where to run, and why fallout takes a while to arrive: the minutes that decide almost everything else.
Guides
What to do when it is already happening
Each one answers a single question — what to do now — with the agency it came from and the date we last checked it. Filter by the threat that concerns you.
Filter by category
-
-
What you can eat and drink after a radioactive release
Which foods stay safe, why a sealed tin does not get contaminated, what to do with the garden and the animals, and when tap water counts again.
-
What to pack if you have to leave because of conflict
What goes in, what it really weighs, which documents decide whether you cross a border, and what each family member carries, children included.
-
Iodine tablets: what they do and what they don't
Potassium iodide protects one organ against one isotope. When it is taken, who must not take it, and why getting ahead of the advice achieves nothing.
-
How to decontaminate after fallout exposure
Removing your outer clothing takes off up to 90% of the contamination. How to do it without spreading it, how to shower, and why conditioner is banned.
-
How to shelter at home after a nuclear accident
Why staying in avoids more dose than running, how to seal a home in twenty minutes, and how long you have to hold out without opening up.
-
How to protect yourself from an explosion while at home
Why glass injures more than shrapnel, how to choose the safe room in your own flat, what to prepare in advance and what position to take in the moment.
-
What to do when an alert siren sounds
The seconds you have, how to tell alert from all-clear, where to go without thinking, and the four mistakes almost everyone makes the first time.
-
Where to shelter from fallout, and for how long
Which buildings protect and which do not, exactly where to position yourself, why the rule is 24 hours, and how to spend that time without the classic mistakes.
-
What to do in the 24 hours before a river flood
A river warns you. An hour-by-hour plan for spending that time in the right order, from the crest forecast to locking the door and leaving.
-
Why a burned hillside floods and slides for years
A burn scar turns ordinary rain into a debris flow, and the risk lasts years. How to tell if you are below one and what the rainfall thresholds mean.
-
Lahars: the volcanic hazard that travels down the valley
The deadliest volcanic hazard of the last century is not lava: it is mud moving down a valley, sometimes with no eruption and under a clear sky.
-
How to tell if the ground under your house is moving
Slopes usually warn for weeks, but the signs look like an ordinary settling house. What to walk out and check, and which combinations mean leave now.
-
What a river flood stage actually tells you
Action stage, minor, moderate and major flooding: what each threshold measures, why the crest matters more than the rise and how to read a river forecast.
-
River flooding and flash flooding need different plans
One gives you hours, the other minutes. Why the same plan fails for both, how to tell which one you are facing and what changes about leaving.
-
What to do when volcanic ash is falling
Volcanic ash is ground glass, not smoke. How to protect your lungs, your roof and your car while it falls, and what not to do when cleaning it up.
-
What each volcano alert level actually means
Normal, advisory, watch and warning: what decides each step, what you should do at each one and why the aviation colour code is a separate scale.
-
What to do in the seconds a landslide gives you
A slide leaves seconds, and the instinct to run downhill is the wrong one. Where to move indoors, outdoors and in a car, and why the return is also dangerous.
-
How to earthquake-proof your home
Most earthquake injuries come from falling objects, not collapsing buildings. What to anchor, in what order, and what each measure costs.
-
Heat stroke: how to recognise it and what to do
Heat exhaustion is treated at home; heat stroke is a medical emergency. How to tell them apart and what to do in the first minutes.
-
How to run a generator without carbon monoxide risk
Carbon monoxide has no smell, no colour and kills in minutes. Where a generator can go, where it never can, and why an open garage does not count.
-
How to keep pipes from freezing and bursting
A burst pipe floods a house in minutes. Which pipes are at risk, why a dripping faucet helps, and what to do if one already froze.
-
How long food lasts in the fridge without power
Four hours with the door closed and up to 48 in a full freezer. What survives, what gets thrown out, and why smell is not how you decide.
-
How to cool your house without air conditioning
Close by day, ventilate by night, and cool people before rooms. What actually works and why a fan can make things worse.
-
How to stay warm at home without power
Shrinking the space, sealing the gaps and layering clothing beats any improvised heater. And the methods that kill people every winter.
-
What to do in the 96 hours before a hurricane
The useful window closes far earlier than people think. What to do at 96, 72, 48, 24 and 6 hours before landfall, hour by hour.
-
Ice storms: why they are the worst winter storm
A quarter inch of ice can bring down a region's power grid for days. What makes freezing rain different from snow and how to get ready.
-
Hurricane watch vs warning: what each one means
A watch says conditions are possible; a warning says they are expected. The difference is about 12 hours and it defines what you should be doing now.
-
How to find out if your house is in a flood zone
Homeowners insurance does not cover flooding. How to look up your real risk, what the map zones mean, and what to do if you are inside one.
-
What to do if you depend on electrically powered medical equipment
CPAP, oxygen concentrators, pumps and refrigerated medication. How to size the backup you need and which registrations to set up in advance.
-
Why you should never drive through a flooded road
Six inches of moving water knocks an adult down and two feet float most vehicles. Why flood water always looks shallower than it is.
-
The safest place in your house during a tornado
As low, as interior and with as few exterior walls as possible. How to pick your shelter depending on the kind of home you live in.
-
What to do if a tornado catches you in your car or outdoors
A car is one of the worst places to be and an overpass is worse still. What to do when there is no sturdy building anywhere nearby.
-
Tornado watch vs warning: the difference that counts
A watch says conditions are favourable; a warning says one has been detected. The gap between them can be a matter of minutes.
-
What to do if you are trapped in your car by snow or water
Two opposite situations with opposite rules: in snow you wait inside, in water you get out immediately. How to handle each one.
-
What to do after an earthquake: the first 24 hours
Aftershocks, gas leaks, water that is no longer safe and a house that may not be. The order to check things in once the shaking stops.
-
What to do during an earthquake: the first 60 seconds
Drop, cover and hold on. Exactly what to do depending on where the shaking catches you, and why running for the door is the worst move.
-
What to do if your car breaks down on the road
Where to stop, whether to stay inside or get out, how to be seen, and why walking for help is usually the worst decision.
-
What to do when water gets into your house
Electricity, gas, water depth and contamination. The order of decisions once the flood is already inside, and what not to touch when you return.
-
When to evacuate for a hurricane and what to take
An evacuation order is not a suggestion. How to find out whether your address is in an evacuation zone, when to leave and what fits in the car.
-
What to always keep in your car emergency kit
A kit that fits in one box and covers everything from a night-time breakdown to being stuck in snow. What stays all year and what changes by season.
-
Who is most at risk during extreme heat
Heat does not affect everyone equally. Which ages, conditions and medications raise the risk, and how to organise check-ins.
-
Wildfire evacuation: what to take if you have 15 minutes
Wildfires move faster than any other disaster. What has to be ready beforehand and the order everything else gets picked up in.
-
Defensible space: preparing the area around your home
Most homes lost to wildfire are not reached by the flame front but by embers. What to do in the first five feet, and out to a hundred.
-
How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke indoors
Smoke affects areas hundreds of miles from the fire and lasts for weeks. How to build a clean air room and which filters actually work.
-
3-day vs 7-day kit: what actually changes
Going from three days to seven is not doubling everything. Water scales linearly, food does not, and power depends on what you decide to keep running.
No guides in that category yet.