Learn before you need it
Preparedness Library
Build knowledge, practical skills, and a plan that works for your household. Explore our original guides, recommended books, lessons, and useful resources.
How Much Emergency Water Does Your Household Really Need?
Calculate minimum and practical emergency water requirements for your household, including children, pets, hot weather, hygiene and extended outages.
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How to Power Your Home During a Blackout Without Buying the Wrong System
Size a home backup power system using real running and starting watts, compare generators and batteries, plan safe connections and test before an outage.
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The Complete Home Emergency Preparedness Checklist
A practical, room-by-room preparedness check covering water, meals, medical needs, power, communication, evacuation and home systems.
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15 First Aid Skills Every Adult Should Know
Recognize emergencies, practice CPR and bleeding control, help safely with burns and injuries, and know when to call for professional help.
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If a Fire Starts in Your Home, Do You Know How to Get Out?
How to plan and practice a family fire escape, maintain smoke alarms, identify exits, and reunite safely outside.
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How to Find Your Way When GPS Stops Working
A practical guide to reading a paper map, using a compass, recognizing landmarks, and deciding when to stop rather than getting more lost.
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Emergency Cash and Documents: What You'll Need If You Can't Go Home
How to prepare accessible cash, essential records, secure copies, and a portable document plan before a sudden evacuation.
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Earthquake Preparedness at Home: What to Secure Before the Shaking Starts
A room-by-room approach to securing dangerous furniture, practicing Drop, Cover, and Hold On, and preparing for aftershocks.
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How to Manage 30 Days Without Running Water
A realistic month-long household plan for stored drinking water, handwashing, sanitation, and low-water cooking.
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Wildfire Evacuation: What to Do Before Fire Reaches Your Neighborhood
A practical plan to leave wildfire danger early, choose routes, prepare pets and medications, and return safely.
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How to Start a Survival Garden That Actually Produces Food
Choose practical crops, grow a manageable garden, and measure the harvest that actually reaches the kitchen.
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How to Prepare for a Flood Before Water Reaches Your Home
Know when to evacuate, protect the things that matter, and avoid flooded roads before the water reaches your home.
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The Power Went Out. Which Food Can You Still Eat?
How to use refrigerator temperatures, outage timing and food categories to decide what to keep and what to discard after a blackout.
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Tornado Safety Without a Basement: Where to Go and What to Do
A realistic tornado safety plan for homes without basements, from choosing an interior shelter to responding after the storm.
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Stranded in Your Car: What to Do Before You Decide to Walk
Make safer decisions after a breakdown: traffic protection, location sharing, exposure, shelter, and when walking is appropriate.
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How to Make Water Safe to Drink in an Emergency
Know when emergency water can be treated, how boiling and filters differ, and how to keep treated water safe.
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How to Build a Bug-Out Bag You Can Actually Carry
Build an evacuation bag around your real destination, essential supplies, comfortable packing, and a field-tested carrying weight.
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How to Stay Warm During a Winter Power Outage
Keep a cold house safer with heat-loss prevention, practical layers, safe backup equipment, and a realistic plan for leaving.
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