Survival Guides

Emergency Kit and Go-Bag

Keep several days of water, food and basics at home, plus a go-bag for each person that you can grab and carry out the door.

Do this now

• Pick one spot at home for the kit and tell everyone where it is.
• Put water, food, a flashlight, a radio and batteries there first.
• Add a week of each person's prescription medicine and spare glasses.
• Put copies of IDs and insurance papers in a waterproof bag.
• Pack one go-bag per person and keep it by the door or in the car.

You don't need to buy everything at once. Start with water and a light, then add a few items each week.

The home kit

Plan for several days on your own, without power, running water or shops. This is the Ready.gov basic list.

• Water: 1 gallon (about 4 litres) per person per day, for drinking and washing
• Food: several days of non-perishable food that needs no cooking
• Manual can opener
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight for each person
• Extra batteries for the radio and flashlights
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust masks
• Plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for a toilet without water)
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Local paper maps
• Cell phone with charger and a backup battery (power bank)

See the water guide for containers and how to store it.

Add these for your family

• Prescription medicines, plus pain relievers and antacids
• Prescription glasses, contact lenses and lens solution
• Extra hearing aids and batteries
• Copies of important papers: IDs, insurance, proof of address, prescriptions. Keep them in a waterproof container or saved electronically.
• Cash in small bills (card machines may not work)
• N95 masks for wildfire smoke
• Soap, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes
• Toothbrushes, toilet paper and feminine supplies
• A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
• A full change of clothes and sturdy shoes for each person
• Fire extinguisher and matches in a waterproof container
• Paper cups, plates, utensils and paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games or puzzles for children
• Babies: formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream
• Pets: food, extra water, leash, carrier and copies of vet records

The go-bag

A go-bag is a smaller kit you can grab and carry if you have to leave fast. Each person should have their own. Make it sturdy and easy to carry, like a backpack.

• Bottled water and non-perishable snacks
• Flashlight, battery or hand-crank radio, and extra batteries
• Whistle
• Small first aid kit
• A week of prescription medicine, with copies of your prescriptions
• List of doctors and phone numbers
• Spare glasses or contacts, hearing aid batteries
• Phone charger and power bank
• Extra house and car keys
• Cash in small bills, and a credit or debit card
• Copies of IDs, insurance and other papers in a waterproof bag
• A recent photo of each family member, faces clearly visible
• Copy of your family plan and contact numbers on paper
• A regional map
• Paper, pens and tape for leaving a note
• Warm clothes, rain gear, a hat and sturdy, comfortable shoes
• Blanket
• Dust mask or N95 mask
• Soap, hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toilet paper, garbage bags
• Anything a child, older person or pet in your family needs

Where to keep them

• Home: one place everyone knows and can reach fast, like a hall closet.
• Work: a small grab-and-go bag with food, water, medicines and comfortable walking shoes. Be ready to stay at work for at least 24 hours.
• Car: keep a car kit too. See the car emergencies guide for the list.

Keep it fresh

Check the kits every 6 months. Changing the clocks is an easy reminder.

1. Replace food, water, medicine and batteries that are near their dates.
2. Swap clothes for the coming season.
3. Update papers, phone numbers and medicines.
4. Rethink your needs every year as children grow or someone's health changes.

Keep canned food in a cool, dry place. Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers.

Common mistakes

• Only one kit, buried in the garage. You may need to leave in minutes. Keep go-bags where you can grab them.
• Forgetting medicines and glasses. These are the hardest things to replace in a disaster.
• Relying on your phone for numbers and papers. Phones die. Keep paper copies.
• No cash. When the power is out, cards and ATMs may not work.
• Packing it and forgetting it. Food, water and batteries expire. Check twice a year.

Sources: Ready.gov: Build a Kit; Ready Illinois: Go Bag; Ready.gov: Wildfires; Ready.gov: Car Safety

Evacuating: When and How to Leave

If officials tell you to evacuate, go right away. Take your go-bag and pets, follow official routes, and don't come back until they say it's safe.

Do this now

• If officials tell you to evacuate, leave right away.
• Grab your go-bags, medicines, phone and charger.
• Take your pets.
• Follow the routes officials give. Don't take shortcuts.
• Text your out-of-town contact where you're going.

When to leave

• Leave immediately when officials tell you to. Follow your local officials' instructions; they know what's coming.
• Leave early if you feel unsafe, even before an order. Leaving early helps you avoid being trapped by fire, flood or storms, and roads are clearer.
• Keep a radio on or your phone's alerts turned on so you hear orders.
• Your route may have to be on foot, depending on the disaster.

Before: know your zone and routes

• Many states and counties have evacuation zones and set routes. Look yours up on your state or county emergency management website, and write down your zone.
• Learn at least two ways out, in different directions.
• Know where you'd go: friends or family out of the area, a motel, or a shelter. Pick options in different directions.
• Keep a go-bag ready for each person. See the emergency kit guide.
• If you have a car, keep the tank full and an emergency kit in it.

What to take

• Go-bags and your emergency kit if you can fit it
• Prescription medicines, glasses, hearing aids and medical devices
• Phone, charger and power bank
• Wallet, ID, cash and copies of important papers
• Battery-powered radio
• Sturdy shoes and protective clothes: long pants, long sleeves and a hat
• N95 masks if there is smoke
• Pets, with food, water, leash or carrier, and their papers
• Baby supplies and anything family members need

If you have only a few minutes, take people, pets, medicines and your go-bags. Everything else can be replaced.

Before you leave the house

Only if you have time:

1. Close and lock windows and doors.
2. Unplug radios, TVs and small appliances.
3. Leave the fridge and freezer plugged in, unless flooding is likely.
4. Turn off water, gas and electricity only if your home is damaged and officials tell you to.
5. Leave a note saying when you left and where you're going.
6. Tell your out-of-town contact where you're going.

On the road

• Follow official routes. Don't take shortcuts; they may be blocked or more dangerous.
• Watch for washed-out roads and bridges and downed power lines. Stay well away from fallen wires.
• Never drive into flood water. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult over. Twelve inches of rushing water can carry away most cars, and 2 feet can carry away SUVs and trucks.
• Never drive around barriers on a flooded road. The road under the water may have collapsed.

If you don't have a car

• Plan ahead with family, friends or neighbours who can take you.
• Ask your local emergency management office how they help people without cars during an evacuation.
• Pack a go-bag you can carry on foot or on a bus.
• Check whether neighbours need a ride, especially older people and people with disabilities.

Shelters

• Local officials announce which shelters are open. Listen to local radio or TV, or check your local emergency management website.
• The FEMA app lists open shelters during a disaster.
• Bring your own medicines, bedding and go-bag if you can.
• Have a backup: a friend's home or a motel.

Pets

• If you're told to evacuate, your pets should go too. Pets left behind can be lost, hurt or killed.
• Most public shelters accept only service animals. Find pet-friendly places to stay before an emergency.
• Microchip your pets and keep your contact details current. Use a collar with an ID tag, and a leash or harness.

Tell someone

• Text your out-of-town contact when you leave, where you're going, and when you arrive.
• If you're split up, everyone checks in with the same contact.

Coming home

• Don't go back until officials say it's safe. Check with officials both where you're staying and back home.
• Wait until debris is cleared. Roads may be weak where flood water has gone down.
• Before you travel, fill the gas tank, charge phones, and bring water and food.
• Stay away from downed power lines and report them to the power company.
• Run a generator only outside, far from the house. Never run one inside a home or garage.

Common mistakes

• Waiting too long. Roads fill and fires and floods move fast. Leave early.
• Taking shortcuts. Back roads may be blocked, flooded or burning.
• Driving through water. A car can be swept away in water only a foot deep.
• Leaving pets behind. Plan where they'll go.
• Going home too soon. Damaged homes, live wires and debris injure many people after the disaster has passed.

Sources: Ready.gov: Evacuation; Ready.gov: Wildfires; Ready.gov: Pets; National Weather Service: Turn Around Don't Drown

Family Emergency Plan

Decide now how you'll get warnings, where you'll shelter or go, and how you'll find each other if you're apart.

Do this now

• Check that Wireless Emergency Alerts are turned on in your phone's settings.
• Sign up for your county or city alerts.
• Pick a meeting place near home and one farther away.
• Choose one out-of-town contact for the whole family.
• Write the key numbers on paper for everyone's wallet or bag.

A plan takes one family meeting. Sit down together and answer the questions below.

What to decide

Ready.gov suggests five questions:

1. How will we get emergency alerts and warnings?
2. Where will we shelter at home?
3. What is our evacuation route, and where will we go?
4. How will we contact each other and reunite if we're apart?
5. Does our emergency kit need updating?

Alerts

• Wireless Emergency Alerts look like text messages with a special sound and vibration. You don't need to sign up, and they're free. Make sure they are on.
• Local alerts: many counties and cities have their own text, call or email alerts you opt into. Ask your local emergency management office how to sign up.
• Radio: a battery or hand-crank radio, ideally a NOAA Weather Radio, gives warnings when the power and phones are down.

Shelter at home

• Pick the safest room for each danger: the lowest floor and an inside room with no windows for tornadoes, and a room you can seal for a chemical spill.
• Know at least two ways out of every room in case of fire.

Evacuation

• Learn your evacuation zone and routes on your state or county emergency management website.
• Know more than one route out, and how you'd leave without a car.
• Pick places to stay in different directions: a friend or relative out of the area, a hotel or a shelter.

Meeting places

Choose places that are safe, familiar and easy to find:

• Right outside your home, for a fire: a mailbox or a neighbour's tree.
• In your neighbourhood, in case you can't get home: a library, school or place of worship.
• Out of town, in case you have to leave the area: a relative's or friend's home.

If you have pets, pick places that allow animals.

Out-of-town contact

• Pick one person who lives out of town. Everyone in the family calls or texts them to check in.
• They may be easier to reach than local numbers when local lines are busy.
• Text, don't talk. Texts often get through when calls don't, and they keep lines open for emergency workers.

School, work and childcare

• Ask your children's school and childcare how they warn parents, where they take children and how pick-up works in an emergency.
• Make sure they have your current numbers and know who else may collect your children.
• Learn your workplace's plan, and keep a small go-bag there.

Everyone's needs

Think about each person and pet:

• Medicines and medical equipment, including anything that needs power.
• Disabilities and devices: wheelchairs, hearing aids, service animals.
• Babies, young children and older relatives.
• Diet needs and languages spoken.
• Pets: most public shelters take only service animals, so plan where pets will go.
• Neighbours who live alone or may need help.

Write it down

A plan in your head is easy to forget when you're scared. Write it down and give everyone a copy.

• Each person's name, date of birth and phone number
• Out-of-town contact's name and number
• Meeting places, with addresses
• School, childcare and work numbers and addresses
• Doctors, pharmacy, medicines and allergies
• Insurance policy numbers
• Vet and pet details

Ready.gov has a free fillable form on its Make a Plan page.

A contact card

Make a small card for each person's wallet, backpack or phone case with:

• Out-of-town contact
• Two other family numbers
• Meeting places
• 911 (or your local emergency number) and any medical conditions

Also save the numbers in each phone. But phones die, so the paper card matters most. Children should carry one in their school bag.

Practise

• Hold a family meeting to review and practise the plan regularly. Twice a year is a good rhythm.
• Fire drill: practise your escape twice a year. Use both ways out of each room and meet at your outside spot.
• Shelter drill: go to your tornado or earthquake spot and count how long it takes.
• Evacuation drill: grab the go-bags, load the car and drive your route. Try the second route too.
• Check-in drill: have everyone text the out-of-town contact.
• Update the plan when you move, change jobs or schools, or someone's needs change.

Common mistakes

• Turning off emergency alerts. They can be the first warning you get.
• Only one meeting place. If it's in the danger area, you have nowhere to go.
• Keeping numbers only in phones. Write them down.
• Choosing a local contact. Local lines may be swamped. Pick someone out of town.
• Never practising. In a real emergency, people do what they've rehearsed.
• Forgetting pets. Most shelters don't take them. Plan ahead.

Sources: Ready.gov: Make a Plan; Ready.gov Kids: Make a Plan; Ready.gov: Emergency Alerts; Ready.gov: Evacuation; Ready.gov: Home Fires

If Someone Goes Missing

Call 911 right away. There's no waiting period for children, and the first hours matter most for anyone.

Do this now

• Call 911 (or your local emergency number) now. Don't wait to see if they turn up.
• Quickly search the home, car and yard, including places a child could hide or get trapped.
• If the person is drawn to water (many children with autism are), search nearby water first: pools, ponds, creeks, ditches.
• Find a recent photo and write down what they were wearing.
• For a child: after calling police, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678), open 24 hours.
• Keep one person by the phone, and keep the home as it is until police arrive.

Call right away

• There is no waiting period for reporting a missing child. Ask police to enter your child in the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File.
• For adults, don't wait either. Call at once and tell police anything that makes them vulnerable: dementia, autism, a medical condition, medicines they need, or thoughts of suicide. Police need to know this to judge how urgent the search is.
• The first 48 hours are the most important. Act fast, but keep going even after that.

What to tell police

Write this down while you wait, so you don't forget under stress:

• Full name, date of birth, height and weight.
• What they were wearing and carrying (bag, phone, bike).
• Glasses, braces, scars, tattoos or other marks.
• When and where they were last seen, and who with.
• Their phone number and any apps, accounts or devices they use.
• Medical needs and medicines.
• Places they might go: friends, old homes, work, school, favourite spots.
• Anyone who might know something, or who has shown unusual interest in them.
• Where you have already searched.

Get the name and phone number of the officer or investigator handling the case.

Search nearby

Search quickly while you wait for police, but don't put yourself in danger.

1. Inside the home: closets, under and inside beds, laundry piles, large appliances (washers, dryers, chest freezers), the basement, attic and garage.
2. Vehicles: inside cars and in trunks.
3. Water: pools, hot tubs, ponds, creeks, ditches.
4. Outside: sheds, yards, bushes, tree lines and fence lines.
5. In a store: tell a manager or security right away. Many stores have a plan (Code Adam) for a missing child. Then call police.

Recent photo

• Keep a recent, clear, close-up photo of each child and of any older relative who may wander. Update children's photos often.
• Use one that shows distinctive marks if you can.
• Give copies to police and NCMEC for posters and alerts.

While police search

• Keep one person by the phone at all times. Keep a notebook there to write down every call: name, number and time.
• Don't clean or move things in the person's room or the home. Clothing, bedding, phones, computers and even trash can hold clues.
• Ask police to help you deal with the media. Pick one family member or friend to speak for the family.

Children with autism

Many children with autism wander or bolt, often toward water. For them, minutes matter.

• Call 911 at once, and tell the dispatcher the child has autism and if they are drawn to water.
• Search all nearby water first, before going door to door.
• Be extra watchful at family gatherings, on holiday, after a move, and in warm weather.
• Prevent it: door locks, door alarms and tracking devices help.
• Make a plan with relatives and neighbours so everyone knows what to do.

People with dementia

People with dementia can wander and get lost, even close to home.

• Start searching right away. Look near home first: many are found within 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of where they went missing.
• Search ponds, tree lines, fence lines and brush, and places they have wandered before.
• People often walk in the direction of their dominant (writing) hand.
• If they are not found within 15 minutes, call 911. Tell the dispatcher they have dementia.

Before it happens:

• Keep a recent close-up photo and a list of places they might go (old jobs, former homes, place of worship).
• Ask neighbours to call you if they see the person out alone.
• Consider enrolling them in a wandering response service.
• Hide car keys if they no longer drive. Never lock them in, and never leave them alone in a car.

After a disaster

If you are separated from family in a disaster:

• Follow your family plan and go to your meeting place if it is safe.
• Use your out-of-area contact to pass messages (see the communication guide).
• Contact the American Red Cross. Its Reconnecting Families program helps separated families find each other.
• For a missing child, call police, then 1-800-THE-LOST.
• Don't go into a disaster area to search. Tell rescuers where the person may be.

Don't share unverified posts

• Report sightings to police, not just on social media.
• Share only official alerts (Amber Alerts, police posts). Rumours and old or fake posts can mislead searchers.
• Don't post your home address or private details. Let police decide what to release.

Common mistakes

• Waiting hours, or "until tomorrow", to call police.
• Searching only on foot through the streets while a child is hiding at home, or is near water.
• Cleaning the person's room before police see it.
• Leaving the phone unattended.
• Not telling police about dementia, autism or medical needs.

Sources: NCMEC: Is Your Child Missing?; OJJDP: When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide; NCMEC: Record drownings of kids with autism; Alzheimer's Association: Wandering; CDC: Reunification with Children After a Disaster or Emergency

Preparedness Checklist

Everything to have ready in one list. Tick things off as you go: start with this week, then work through the rest a little at a time.

You don't need to do all of this at once. Most families get ready over a few weeks: a few things this week, then a little more each time you shop. Your ticks are remembered on this device, so come back and carry on. Each part links to the guide with the details.

This week

• Check that Wireless Emergency Alerts are turned on in your phone's settings, and sign up for your county's or city's own alerts.
• Choose one out-of-town contact everyone in the family will text or call, and save their number in every phone.
• Agree where you'll meet: just outside your home, somewhere nearby, and somewhere out of town.
• Press the test button on every smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm. Replace any that don't sound.
• Find your home's gas, water and electricity shut-offs, and make sure the adults know where they are.
• Walk through two ways out of every room, especially bedrooms.

Water and food

Details: Water, Making Water Safe to Drink, Food and Keeping Food Safe When the Power Goes Out.

• Water: at least 1 gallon (about 4 litres) per person per day, for several days. More for hot weather, nursing mothers, children, the sick and pets.
• Food that needs no cooking, no refrigeration and little water, for several days, plus a manual can opener.
• Unscented household bleach and a dropper, or water disinfection tablets, to make doubtful water safe.
• Baby formula and food, and special diets, if anyone in the family needs them.
• Pet food and water.
• A cooler and an appliance thermometer for the fridge and freezer, for when the power goes out.

The emergency kit at home

Details: Emergency Kit and Go-Bag.

• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, ideally a NOAA Weather Radio.
• Flashlights and extra batteries (not candles).
• First aid kit.
• Phone chargers and a charged power bank.
• Whistle to signal for help.
• Dust masks or N95 masks, plastic sheeting and duct tape.
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for sanitation.
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities.
• Local paper maps.
• A fire extinguisher you know how to use.

A go-bag for each person

• A bag each person can carry, by the door or in the car.
• Water, snacks, a flashlight and a change of clothes and shoes.
• A copy of the family's contact list and meeting places.
• Medicines for a few days, glasses or contact lenses, and hearing aid batteries.
• Some cash in small bills.

Documents and money

• Copies of IDs, insurance policies, medical records, prescriptions and bank details, in a waterproof container or saved securely online.
• Photos of each family member and each pet, for if someone goes missing.
• Check what your home insurance covers. Most policies don't cover floods.
• Take photos or a video of your home and belongings for insurance claims.

Health

• An extra supply of prescription medicines, if your doctor or pharmacist agrees.
• A written list of medicines, doses, allergies and doctors for each person.
• A backup power plan for any medical device that runs on electricity.
• Learn first aid and CPR: take a class with the Red Cross or American Heart Association, and a Stop the Bleed class.

Your plan

Details: Family Emergency Plan and Evacuating.

• Write the plan down: alerts, where you'll shelter for each hazard, evacuation routes, meeting places and contacts.
• Know your evacuation zone and at least two ways out of your area.
• Know the plans at your children's schools and at your workplaces.
• Plan for pets: where they can go if you have to leave.
• Plan for anyone who needs extra help: older relatives, neighbours, people with disabilities.
• Practise: a home fire drill and a meet-up at your meeting place.

Home safety

• Smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside every bedroom and outside each sleeping area.
• Carbon monoxide alarms on every level and outside sleeping areas.
• Heavy furniture and water heaters strapped to the wall, in earthquake areas.
• A generator, if you have one, that you'll only ever run outside, far from doors and windows.
• Keep your car's fuel tank full when bad weather is coming, with a car emergency kit in it.

Every 6 months

• Replace stored water you filled yourself, and food, medicines and batteries that are near their dates.
• Update the kit for growing children and changing needs: clothes, shoes, medicines, contacts.
• Test the alarms again (test them monthly too) and practise the plan.
• Check that everyone still knows the meeting places and the out-of-town contact.

Sources: Ready.gov: Build a Kit; Ready.gov: Make a Plan; Ready.gov: Emergency Alerts; US Fire Administration: Smoke Alarms; CPSC: Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Cooking and Boiling Water Without Power

Grills, camp stoves and generators make carbon monoxide: use them outside only, never in a home, garage or tent, and never leave a flame alone.

Do this now

• Eat food that needs no cooking first. Canned food is safe to eat cold, straight from the can.
• If you must cook, set up the grill or camp stove outdoors, away from the house.
• Never use a grill, camp stove, charcoal or generator inside your home, garage, carport, tent or camper.
• Check your carbon monoxide (CO) alarm has working batteries.
• Stay with any flame until it's out.

Meals that need no cooking

You don't have to cook to eat well for a few days.

• Canned meat, fish, beans, fruit and vegetables, eaten cold
• Peanut butter on crackers or bread
• Cereal or granola with shelf-stable milk
• Protein bars, dried fruit and nuts
• Canned juice

Eat what will spoil first: fresh food from the fridge, while it's still cold. See the guide on food when the power is out.

Indoors: what's allowed

Ready.gov lists a few small indoor options for warming food: candle warmers, chafing dishes, fondue pots and a fireplace. Use them with care:

• Use them only as the label says, on a sturdy surface away from anything that can burn.
• Never leave them lit when you leave the room or go to sleep.
• Keep children and pets away.
• To warm canned food, take off the label, wash the can and open it first. Never heat a sealed can.

Don't cook indoors with anything else that burns fuel, such as a camp stove, grill or charcoal.

Outdoors: grills and camp stoves

1. Set up outside, on a flat, steady surface.
2. Keep the grill away from the house siding, deck railings, eaves and overhanging branches.
3. Don't use or store a grill on a porch or balcony.
4. Keep a 3-foot (1 m) safe zone around it. Keep children and pets out.
5. Never leave a lit grill or stove alone.
6. Keep a fire extinguisher, or a bucket of water or sand, nearby.
7. When you're done, let the coals cool completely, then put them in a metal can with a lid.

Campfires and fire pits need even more room: at least 10 feet (3 m) from your home and 25 feet (8 m) from tents. Follow any local burn bans.

Boiling water for drinking

If your tap water isn't safe and the stove doesn't work, boil water outdoors on a grill or camp stove.

1. If it's cloudy, let it settle and pour it through a clean cloth first.
2. Bring it to a rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet / about 2,000 m).
3. Let it cool, then store it in clean, covered containers.

See the guide on making water safe to drink. If you can't boil, use bleach.

Generators

• Run a generator outdoors only, more than 20 feet (6 m) from windows, doors and vents.
• Never in the house, basement or garage, even with the doors open.
• Let it cool before refuelling.
• See the generator safety guide for cords, refuelling and wet weather.

Carbon monoxide: know the signs

CO poisoning feels like the flu: headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, confusion and sleepiness. People who are asleep can die before they notice anything.

• If anyone has these signs, get everyone outside to fresh air right away, then call 911 (or your local emergency number).
• Feeling sick while camping or using a heater or stove? Think CO.
• Install battery-operated or battery-backup CO alarms near every sleeping area. Check the batteries in spring and fall.

Storing fuel

• Use a child-resistant fuel can made for that fuel.
• Store fuel in a cool, well-ventilated place, never inside the house or basement.
• Keep it away from anything that can light it: pilot lights, stoves, heaters, open flames, electric mowers.
• Always put the cap back on.
• Keep fuel and matches out of children's reach.

Common mistakes

• Bringing the grill into the garage "because it's raining".
• Running a camp stove or heater in a tent to stay warm.
• Heating the house with the gas oven.
• Leaving a grill, candle warmer or fondue pot burning unattended.
• Storing gas cans in the basement or next to the water heater.
• Heating a sealed can, which can burst.

Sources: CDC: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Symptoms and Prevention; CPSC: Portable Heaters and Camping Equipment; USFA: Outdoor Fire Safety; CPSC: Fuel Container and Liquid Fuel Safety; Ready.gov: Food

Food: What to Stock and How to Store It

Keep at least 3 days of food your family already eats that needs no fridge or cooking, build toward 2 weeks or more, and eat the oldest first.

Do this now

• Check what you have: count how many days your household could eat without shopping, cooking or a fridge.
• Make sure you have a manual can opener and eating utensils.
• Put aside at least 3 days of no-cook food for each person, plus baby food and pet food.
• On every grocery trip, buy one or two extra items you already eat.
• Store water with your food: at least 1 gallon (about 4 litres) per person per day. See the water guide.

How much

• Start with 3 days of food for everyone in your home. That's the minimum for your emergency kit.
• Then build up, a little at a time, to 2 weeks or more for sheltering at home. Some emergency agencies suggest working toward a month or longer.
• Don't panic-buy. Adding one extra item each time you shop is cheaper and fills the shelf without a rush.

What to stock

Choose food that needs no refrigeration, no cooking and little or no water, and that your family actually likes.

• Ready-to-eat canned meat, fish, beans, fruit and vegetables
• Canned soups and stews (can be eaten unheated)
• Peanut butter or other nut butters
• Protein bars, fruit bars, granola
• Dry cereal, crackers
• Dried fruit and nuts
• Canned juice and shelf-stable (boxed) pasteurized milk
• High-energy foods, plus a few comfort foods, especially for children

Commercially canned food can be eaten cold, straight from the can. Salty foods make you thirsty, so go easy on them if water is short.

Once you have the basics, longer-term staples such as rice, dried beans, oats, pasta, cooking oil, powdered milk, sugar and salt are useful, but they need water and a way to cook.

Babies, special diets and pets

• Babies: store ready-to-feed formula, bottles and baby food. Ready-to-feed formula needs no water. If you have to mix powdered or concentrated formula, use bottled water, or boiled water only as a last resort.
• Special diets: if anyone has diabetes, allergies, celiac disease or another need, stock food that's safe for them. Don't store foods anyone in the house is allergic to. Ask a doctor or dietitian if unsure.
• Older adults and young children: include softer, milder foods they can eat easily.
• Pets: keep a 2-week supply of food for each animal in a waterproof container, plus a manual can opener if it's canned, bowls, and water. See the pets guide.

How to store it

• Keep food cool, dry and dark, ideally between 40 and 70 °F (4 and 21 °C). Heat and temperature swings shorten shelf life.
• Keep it away from heat, such as a stove, furnace or hot water heater.
• Light breaks down nutrients: use a dark cupboard or opaque containers.
• Keep canned food in a cool, dry place. Keep boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers to keep out moisture and pests.
• Keep food off the floor and away from outside walls.
• If flooding is possible, store food and water on high shelves.
• If pests get in, move the food outside and throw it away.

Rotate it

• Store what you eat, and eat what you store. Put new food at the back and use the oldest first ("first in, first out").
• Most shop-bought food lasts less than a year. Check dates at least once a year and replace what's out of date.
• Write the purchase date on cans and boxes with a marker.
• Rethink your supply every year as your family changes: new baby, new diet, new pet.

Damaged cans and packages

Throw away cans that are:

• Bulging or swollen
• Leaking, punctured, or cracked at the seams
• Deeply rusted
• Dented so badly they won't stack or open with a manual can opener

Don't buy damaged cans or torn packages.

Opening and heating

• Pack a manual can opener. An electric one is useless in a power cut.
• To heat food in its can: take off the label, wash the can, then open it before heating. Never heat a sealed can.
• Cook only with safe methods. Grills and camp stoves go outside only. See the guide on cooking without power.

Common mistakes

• Buying a big "survival" stock nobody likes, then never eating it.
• Forgetting the can opener.
• Storing food somewhere hot or damp.
• Forgetting baby formula, special-diet food or pet food.
• Keeping bulging or leaking cans "just in case".
• Relying on frozen and fridge food. It's safe only a short time once the power goes out: see the food-power-out guide.

Sources: Ready.gov: Food; Be Ready Utah: Food Storage; FDA: Food and Water Safety During Power Outages and Floods; Ready.gov: Build a Kit; CDC: Build a Pet Disaster Preparedness Kit

Keeping Food Safe When the Power Goes Out

Keep the fridge and freezer shut: food stays safe 4 hours in the fridge and 48 hours in a full freezer. When in doubt, throw it out.

Do this now

• Keep the fridge and freezer doors closed. Open them only when you must, and quickly.
• Note the time the power went out.
• If the power may be out more than 4 hours, get a cooler and ice, block ice or dry ice ready.
• Eat fresh, perishable food first, while it's still cold, then move on to shelf-stable food.
• Never taste food to check if it's safe.

How long food stays safe

With the doors closed:

Food is safe in the fridge at 40 °F (4 °C) or colder. A freezer should be 0 °F (-18 °C) or colder. Germs grow fast between 40 and 140 °F (4 and 60 °C).

Before an outage

• Put an appliance thermometer in the fridge and the freezer. It's the only way to know the temperature.
• Freeze containers of water and gel packs. They keep food cold, and melted ice from safe water is drinking water.
• Freeze leftovers, milk and fresh meat you won't need right away.
• Keep frozen food packed together. It stays cold longer.
• Have a cooler ready, and know where to buy dry ice or block ice.
• If you live where floods happen, keep food and bottled water on high shelves.

During the outage

1. Keep the doors shut. Each opening lets cold out.
2. After 4 hours, move milk, meat, fish, eggs, leftovers and other perishables into a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. Keep it at 40 °F (4 °C) or below.
3. If you'll be out for a long time, use dry ice or block ice in the freezer.
4. If you cook fridge or freezer meat, poultry, fish or eggs while they're still safe, cook them all the way through.

Dry ice

• About 25 pounds (11 kg) keeps a 10-cubic-foot freezer below freezing for 3 to 4 days.
• About 50 pounds (23 kg) keeps a full 18-cubic-foot freezer cold for 2 days.
• Wear dry, heavy gloves. Never touch it with bare skin, and don't let it touch food.

After the power comes back

Check the fridge and freezer thermometers first. Then go through the food item by item.

Refreezing

Food that still has ice crystals or is at 40 °F (4 °C) or below can be refrozen or cooked. It's safe. Don't judge by look or smell: check the temperature.

After a flood

Throw away:

• Any food that touched flood water or storm water
• Perishable food that wasn't kept cold during the outage
• Food in packages that aren't waterproof, including cardboard juice, milk and baby formula boxes
• Food in jars or bottles with screw caps, snap lids, crimped caps, twist caps, flip tops or pull tops
• Home-canned food
• Cans that are bulging, open, leaking or badly damaged
• Wooden cutting boards, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers that touched flood water

Saving undamaged cans and pouches

Undamaged, store-bought all-metal cans and foil "retort" pouches can be saved:

1. Peel off the labels if you can. Note the expiry date.
2. Brush or wipe off the mud.
3. Wash them in hot, soapy water, then rinse with safe water.
4. Sanitise: boil them in water for 2 minutes, or soak them 15 minutes in 1 cup (240 mL) unscented bleach in 5 gallons (19 L) of water.
5. Air-dry, then write the contents and expiry date on them with a marker.
6. Eat them soon.

Dishes and counters

Wash in hot, soapy water, rinse in safe water, then soak for 1 minute in 1 cup (240 mL) unscented bleach per 5 gallons (19 L) of water and air-dry. Wipe counters with the same solution.

Babies

Use ready-to-feed formula if you can. If you have to mix formula, use safe bottled or treated water. Throw out formula in cardboard boxes that touched flood water.

If someone gets sick

Food poisoning usually starts 1 to 3 days after eating, but can start within 20 minutes or as late as 6 weeks. Signs include vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and fever. Call your doctor. For severe illness, call 911 (or your local emergency number).

Common mistakes

• Opening the fridge "just to check".
• Guessing the temperature instead of using a thermometer.
• Tasting or sniffing food to decide.
• Keeping food that sat at room temperature for hours.
• Saving jars with screw caps after a flood.
• Running a generator indoors to keep the fridge on. Generators go outside only, never in the house or garage: see the generator safety guide.

Sources: CDC: Keep Food Safe After a Disaster or Emergency; FDA: Food and Water Safety During Power Outages and Floods; Ready.gov: Food; CDC: Discarding Food After a Power Outage

Making Water Safe to Drink

Boiling is the best way to kill germs: a rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet). Bleach is the backup.

Do this now

• Use bottled water if you have it. It's the safest choice.
• If the water is cloudy, let it settle and pour the clear water through a clean cloth or coffee filter.
• Bring it to a rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet / about 2,000 m). Let it cool.
• Can't boil? Add unscented bleach (table below), stir, and wait 30 minutes.
• Store the safe water in clean containers with tight lids.
• If the water may have fuel or chemicals in it, don't use it at all. Find another source.

Water you shouldn't trust

Purify (treat) water before you use it if it comes from a stream, pond, lake, rainwater, a flooded well, or a tap under a boil water notice, or if it looks cloudy.

Use treated or bottled water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food, washing hands, making ice and mixing baby formula.

Step 1: Clear cloudy water first

Dirt shields germs from heat, bleach and sunlight.

1. Let the water stand until the dirt sinks to the bottom.
2. Pour off the clear water on top.
3. Pour it through a clean cloth, paper towel or coffee filter.

Then boil it or disinfect it. Settling and filtering alone don't make water safe.

Boiling: the best way

Boiling kills germs, including the tough parasites that bleach can miss.

1. Bring the water to a rolling boil (big bubbles that don't stop when you stir).
2. Keep it boiling for 1 minute.
3. Above 6,500 feet (about 2,000 m), boil for 3 minutes. EPA uses a lower line of 5,000 feet, so if you live between the two, boil for 3 minutes.
4. Let it cool on its own. Don't add ice unless it was made from safe water.
5. Pour it into clean containers and cover them.

Boiled water tastes flat. Pour it back and forth between two clean containers, or add a pinch of salt per quart or litre.

If the stove is out, see the guide on cooking without power. Camp stoves and grills go outside only.

Bleach: when you can't boil

Which bleach

• Plain, unscented household chlorine bleach. The label should say 6% or 8.25% sodium hypochlorite.
• Not scented, colour-safe, or "with cleaners" bleach.
• Use fresh bleach: bleach weakens with age. Use a bottle stored at room temperature for less than a year.
• If the label has instructions for drinking water, follow them.
• Use a clean eyedropper.

How much

"Cloudy" also means coloured or very cold water: use double. The 5-gallon row is CDC's amount for any bleach between 5% and 9%.

Then

1. Stir well.
2. Wait 30 minutes before using it.
3. Smell it. It should smell slightly of chlorine.
4. No smell? Add the same dose again and wait 15 more minutes.
5. Still no smell? Your bleach is probably too weak. Throw the water out and use fresh bleach or another method.

If it tastes too strong, pour it between clean containers and let it stand for a few hours.

Disinfection tablets and drops

• Follow the package directions exactly. Strengths differ, and each is made for a set amount of water.
• Tablets kill bacteria and viruses but may not kill parasites.
• Chlorine dioxide tablets can kill Cryptosporidium if used correctly. Iodine and chlorine tablets do not.
• Don't use iodine-treated water if you are pregnant, have thyroid problems, or are sensitive to iodine. Nobody should drink it for more than a few weeks.
• No tablets? EPA says 2% tincture of iodine works: 5 drops per quart or litre (10 if cloudy), wait 30 minutes. The same iodine cautions apply.

Portable filters

Filters don't remove all germs, and they don't remove viruses. Read the label for the pore size:

After filtering, add a chlorine, chlorine dioxide or iodine disinfectant (or boil) to kill viruses and bacteria.

Other methods

Ultraviolet (UV) light

Small UV devices kill germs in small amounts of clear water. Filter first. Follow the device's instructions.

Sunlight (solar disinfection)

1. Fill clean, clear plastic bottles with clear water.
2. Lay them on their side in direct sun, on a dark surface if you can.
3. Leave them 6 hours if sunny, or 2 days if cloudy.

This works poorly with cloudy water. Filter it first.

Distilling

Distilling also removes salt, heavy metals and most chemicals, which boiling and bleach can't.

1. Fill a pot halfway with water.
2. Tie a cup to the lid handle so it hangs upright inside, above the water, when the lid is upside down.
3. Boil for 20 minutes.
4. The water that drips from the lid into the cup is distilled.

What you can't fix

Also avoid water that is dark, smells bad or has things floating in it. Never drink water from radiators, home heating boilers, pools or waterbeds.

Common mistakes

• Using scented or colour-safe bleach, or a bottle years old.
• Skipping the 30-minute wait.
• Bleaching cloudy water without clearing it, or without doubling the dose.
• Trusting a filter to stop viruses.
• Boiling water with fuel or chemicals in it and thinking it's safe.
• Pouring safe water back into a dirty container.

Sources: CDC: How to Make Water Safe in an Emergency; EPA: Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water; Ready.gov: Water; CDC: How to Find Clean Water in an Emergency

Water: How Much to Store and Where to Find It

Store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day for 3 days, 2 weeks if you can, and know the safe water already in your home.

Do this now

• If officials warn the water may stop or be unsafe, fill clean containers, pots and bottles with tap water now.
• Count your water: you want at least 1 gallon (about 4 litres) per person per day.
• If officials say your water is contaminated, shut off your home's main water valve to keep bad water out of your pipes and water heater.
• Drink normally. Don't ration water unless officials tell you to.
• If you're not sure water is safe, treat it first: see the guide on making water safe to drink.

How much to store

Plan on at least 1 gallon (about 4 litres) per person per day. That covers drinking and basic hygiene. A normally active person drinks about three quarters of a gallon a day.

Store more if:

• Someone is pregnant, nursing, a child, or sick.
• You live somewhere hot. In very hot weather, water needs can double.
• You have pets. Keep a 2-week supply of water for each animal, plus a bowl.

Coffee, tea, soda and alcohol don't replace water. Caffeine and alcohol make you lose water.

Containers

• Store-bought bottled water is safest. Keep it sealed in its original bottles and use it before the date on the label.
• If you fill your own, use food-grade water containers (sold at camping and surplus stores).
• If you can't get food-grade containers, pick ones with a tight lid, made of something that won't break (not glass), with a narrow opening if possible.
• Never use a container that held bleach, pesticides or other chemicals.

Filling and rotating your own containers

1. Wash the container with dish soap and rinse it well.
2. Mix 1 teaspoon of unscented household bleach in 1 quart (4 cups) of water. Pour it in.
3. Close the lid and shake so it touches every inside surface. Wait at least 30 seconds, then pour it out.
4. Let the container air-dry.
5. Fill it with clean tap water and close it tightly.
6. Label it "drinking water" with today's date.

Store it at 50-70 °F (10-21 °C), out of sunlight, away from gasoline, pesticides and other chemicals. Replace water you bottled yourself every 6 months.

When you use it, pour or use a clean scoop. Don't dip your hands in.

Water already in your home

If the tap stops and you run out of stored water, these are your backups.

Water heater

A tank can hold about 40 gallons (150 L).

1. Shut off the main water valve to the house, so dirty water can't flow in.
2. Turn off the electricity or gas to the heater first, following the maker's instructions. Leave it off until the tank is full again.
3. Let the water cool. It may be very hot.
4. Open a hot water tap in the house to let air in.
5. Drain water from the valve at the bottom of the tank into clean containers.

Use only the heater that supplies your taps. In older homes with radiators, never use the tank that feeds the heating system.

Pipes

Your pipes may hold 20 to 40 gallons. Open the highest tap in the house to let air in, then collect water from the lowest tap.

Ice

Melted ice is fine to drink if it was made from safe water. Don't eat snow or ice to stay hydrated: it chills your body. Melt it first.

Toilet tank

The tank (the box behind the seat), never the bowl. Only use it if the water is clear and no cleaner has been added (blue or coloured water means chemicals). Treat it before drinking if you can.

Canned food

The liquid in canned fruit and vegetables can be drunk or used in cooking.

Collecting rainwater and outdoor water

Rainwater, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and springs can be used, but always treat them first, even if they look clean. They can carry sewage, animal waste and chemicals.

• Catch rain in clean containers. After a disaster, debris from damaged roofs can wash into it.
• Flowing water is usually better than still water.
• See the guide on making water safe to drink for boiling, bleach and filters.

Never drink

• Water from swimming pools or hot tubs. Use it only for cleaning or flushing toilets.
• Water from radiators or boilers in a home heating system.
• Water from waterbeds. Its chemicals can't be removed at home.
• Flood water, or water from fountains, fish ponds or drainage ditches.
• Water that is dark, smells bad or has things floating in it, unless it can be treated and there is no chemical risk.

Common mistakes

• Storing water in jugs that once held chemicals.
• Forgetting to refill home-bottled water every 6 months.
• Draining the water heater with the power or gas still on.
• Turning the heater back on before the tank is full again.
• Using toilet bowl water instead of tank water.
• Rationing water and getting dehydrated. Drink what you need today, then look for more.

Sources: CDC: How to Create an Emergency Water Supply; CDC: How to Find Clean Water in an Emergency; Ready.gov: Water; Be Ready Utah: Other Sources of Water; CDC: Build a Pet Disaster Preparedness Kit

Burns

Cool the burn under clean, cool running water for 5 to 20 minutes. No ice, butter or creams. Call 911 for big, deep, chemical or electrical burns.

Do this now

• Stop the burning. Get away from the heat. Clothes on fire: stop, drop and roll. Electricity: turn off the power before you touch anyone.
• Call 911 (or your local emergency number) for serious burns. See the list below.
• Take off rings, watches and clothing near the burn, unless stuck to the skin.
• Cool it under clean, cool running water for 5 to 20 minutes. Lukewarm is OK if cool isn't available.
• Cover loosely with a clean, dry, non-stick dressing or plastic wrap.
• Watch for shock: pale, cold, clammy skin, fast breathing. Keep them warm.

Call 911 if

• The burn is bigger than the person's palm, or covers a large area such as the chest, back or a whole limb.
• It's on the face, mouth, nose, neck, hands, feet, groin or genitals, or a major joint.
• It goes around an arm, leg, the chest or neck.
• It's deep: white, brown or black skin, bone or tissue showing, or it hurts very little despite looking bad.
• It's a chemical, electrical, radiation or explosion burn.
• The person is a young child or an older adult, or has other injuries or medical conditions.
• They breathed in smoke, or show signs of shock.
• You're not sure. Treat it as serious.

Any burn that blisters, or any burn on a child, should be seen by a doctor.

Cooling a heat burn

1. Move to clean running water you could drink, if you can.
2. Remove jewelry and clothing at the burn before it swells. Leave anything stuck to the skin.
3. Hold the burn under cool, running water for 5 to 20 minutes.
4. No running water? Use a cool or cold (not frozen) wet cloth.
5. Don't scrub or try to clean a severe burn.
6. Cover it loosely with a sterile or clean, dry, non-stick dressing. Plastic wrap works.
7. If it's a large burn, keep the rest of the person warm. Cooling a big area can chill them dangerously, especially a child.

What NOT to put on a burn

• No creams, sprays or ointments on a severe burn.
• No adhesive bandages. They stick and tear the skin.
• Don't break blisters, and don't peel dead skin.
• Don't breathe, blow or cough on the burn.
• Give nothing to eat or drink to someone with a severe burn.

Blisters and minor burns

For small, red burns, or small blistered burns under 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 cm) across, not on the face, hands, feet, groin or joints:

1. Cool under running water as above.
2. Leave blisters alone. They protect the skin underneath.
3. Cover with a dry, non-stick bandage and protect from rubbing.
4. Once cool, a gentle moisturizing lotion can help unbroken skin.
5. Over-the-counter pain relief only as the label says. Don't give aspirin to children or teens.
6. Check tetanus shots are up to date.

See a doctor if it gets more painful, red, swollen or oozes pus.

Chemical burns

1. Put on gloves first so you don't burn yourself.
2. Brush off dry powder with a gloved hand or cloth before using water.
3. Remove clothing and jewelry with chemical on it.
4. Flush with cool, running water for at least 15 minutes.
5. Chemical in the eye? Keep flushing the eye with water until help arrives.
6. Call 911 for any chemical burn. Leave the burn uncovered unless help is delayed, then cover loosely.

Electrical burns

1. Once the power is off, call 911. Even a small electrical burn can mean serious damage inside the body.
2. Remove clothing and jewelry not stuck to the burn.
3. Cool the burn with cool running water for at least 15 minutes.
4. Electricity can stop the heart. If they don't respond and aren't breathing normally, start CPR and use an AED. See the CPR and choking guide.
5. Even if they seem fine, they need a doctor.

Sunburn

• Cool the skin with a cool shower, bath or wet cloths.
• Use a moisturizing cream on skin that isn't blistered. Avoid butter, petroleum jelly and numbing creams (benzocaine or lidocaine).
• Don't pick at blisters. Cover them with dry bandages.
• Drink plenty of water. Wear loose cotton clothes.
• Get medical help for sunburn with fever, severe painful blisters, chills, or signs of dehydration or heat illness: dizziness, fast pulse, great thirst, little urine. See the heat illness guide.
• Babies and children burn easily. Keep them out of strong sun.

Prevent burns at home

• Set the water heater to 120 °F (49 °C) or lower.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove and use the back burners.
• Keep flammable things away from heaters and stoves. Don't wear loose sleeves when cooking.
• Don't overload outlets or extension cords.

Common mistakes

• Using ice, or not cooling long enough.
• Butter, oil or home remedies "to soothe it".
• Popping blisters.
• Pulling off clothing that's stuck to the skin.
• Grabbing someone who's being shocked.
• Thinking a small electrical burn is minor.

Sources: American Red Cross: Burns; MedlinePlus: Burns; MedlinePlus: Sunburn

CPR and Choking

Not breathing normally? Call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest, 100 to 120 a minute. Use an AED as soon as you have one.

Do this now

• Scene safe? Shout and tap. Look for normal breathing, 10 seconds at most.
• Not responding, and not breathing or only gasping? Call 911 (or your local emergency number) on speaker. Send someone for an AED.
• Push hard and fast in the center of the chest: at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, 100 to 120 times a minute.
• When the AED arrives, turn it on and follow its voice.
• Don't stop until help takes over or the person clearly wakes.
• Choking and can't cough, speak or breathe? 5 back blows, then 5 abdominal thrusts. Repeat.

Hands-only CPR for an adult or teen

For an adult who has collapsed and isn't breathing normally, if you're not trained in full CPR. Gasping is not normal breathing.

1. Lay them on their back on a firm, flat surface. Kneel beside their chest.
2. Put the heel of one hand in the center of the chest, the other hand on top. Lace your fingers and keep them off the ribs.
3. Shoulders straight over your hands. Lock your elbows.
4. Push hard and fast: at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, 100 to 120 a minute (the beat of "Stayin' Alive"). Let the chest come all the way back up.
5. Keep going, even if you feel a rib crack. If someone can help, swap every 1 to 2 minutes.

Using an AED

An AED (automated external defibrillator) checks the heart and shocks only if needed. You don't need training: it talks you through it.

1. Turn it on and follow the voice.
2. Bare the chest and wipe it dry. Move the person out of water first.
3. Stick the pads where the pictures show: upper right chest, and left side a few inches below the armpit. If pads would touch, put one mid-chest and one on the back.
4. Make sure no one is touching the person. Say "Clear!" Push the shock button if told to.
5. Restart compressions straight away after the shock, or if no shock is advised.

When rescue breaths matter

Children, babies and people who drowned usually stop breathing before the heart stops, so CPR with breaths works best. Untrained, or can't give breaths? Compressions alone are far better than nothing.

Giving breaths (30 pushes, then 2 breaths):

1. Tilt the head back and lift the chin: slightly past level for a child, level for a baby.
2. Pinch the nose and seal your mouth over theirs. For a baby, cover mouth and nose.
3. Blow for about 1 second, just enough to make the chest rise. Give 2 breaths, then straight back to compressions. Keep pauses under 10 seconds.

CPR for a child (age 1 to puberty)

1. Call 911 and send for an AED. Give 30 compressions with two hands (one hand for a small child), about 2 inches (5 cm) deep, 100 to 120 a minute.
2. Give 2 breaths. Repeat 30 and 2 until help arrives or the child shows clear signs of life.

CPR for a baby (under 1 year)

1. Shout and tap the bottom of the foot. No response and not breathing normally? Call 911 on speaker. Lay the baby on a firm, flat surface.
2. Put both thumbs side by side on the center of the chest, just below the nipple line, fingers wrapped around the back. Or use the heel of one hand.
3. Push about 1½ inches (4 cm) deep, 100 to 120 a minute. Give 30 compressions.
4. Give 2 gentle breaths over the mouth and nose.
5. Repeat 30 and 2. If you're alone and have no phone, do about 2 minutes (5 rounds) first, then call 911.
6. AED for a baby: one pad in the middle of the chest, one on the back.

Choking: adult or child over 1

If they can cough hard, speak or cry, let them cough, and stay ready.

If they can't cough, speak or breathe, or are making high squeaky sounds or turning blue, call 911 and act:

1. Stand to the side and slightly behind (kneel for a small child). Put one arm across their chest and bend them forward.
2. Give 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
3. Stand behind them. Make a fist and put the thumb side just above the navel, well below the breastbone. Grab it with your other hand.
4. Give 5 quick abdominal thrusts, pulling in and up.
5. Keep alternating 5 back blows and 5 thrusts until the object comes out, they can cough or speak, or they become unresponsive.

Pregnant, or too large to reach around? Give chest thrusts instead: fist on the middle of the breastbone, pull straight back.

Red Cross and AHA now agree. The American Heart Association used to teach abdominal thrusts alone; its 2025 guidelines recommend alternating 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts, as the Red Cross does.

If they become unresponsive: lower them to the floor and start CPR. Before each set of breaths, look in the mouth and remove the object only if you see it.

Choking: baby under 1

1. Lay the baby face down along your forearm, on your thigh, head lower than the body, jaw supported in your hand.
2. Give 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
3. Turn the baby face up on your other forearm, head still low.
4. Give 5 quick chest thrusts, about 1½ inches deep, just below the nipple line, with two fingers or (newer AHA advice) the heel of one hand.
5. Repeat until the baby coughs, cries or breathes, or becomes unresponsive. Then start baby CPR.

Never use abdominal thrusts on a baby, or hold a child upside down.

Choking alone

1. Call 911. Even if you can't speak, an open line helps them find you.
2. Give yourself abdominal thrusts with your fist, or push your belly hard onto the back of a chair or a railing. Avoid sharp edges.

Common mistakes

• Waiting to be sure. Not responding and not breathing normally? Start.
• Pushing too gently or too slowly, or pausing too long.
• Being afraid of the AED. It won't shock unless the heart needs it.
• Skipping the doctor. Anyone who choked badly should be checked afterwards.

Sources: American Red Cross: Hands-Only CPR; American Red Cross: Child and Baby CPR; American Red Cross: Adult and Child Choking; American Red Cross: Infant Choking; American Heart Association: 2025 CPR Guidelines (news release)

First Aid: Where to Start

Make sure it's safe, call 911, then check if the person responds and breathes. Not breathing normally? Start CPR. Take a class.

Do this now

• Check the scene. Fire, traffic, power lines, gas, deep water, violence? Don't become a second victim.
• Check the person. Shout, tap their shoulder (or the bottom of a baby's foot), shout again. Take no more than 10 seconds.
• Call 911 (or your local emergency number), or tell someone to call and bring an AED and a first aid kit.
• Not breathing, or only gasping? Start CPR and use an AED. See the CPR and choking guide.
• Bleeding heavily? Press hard on it now. See the bleeding guide.
• Breathing but not awake? Put them in the recovery position and watch their breathing.

Call 911 first

Call when the person doesn't respond, isn't fully awake, isn't breathing normally, or is bleeding badly. Put the phone on speaker so your hands are free.

Tell the dispatcher:

• Where you are: address, cross streets or landmarks.
• What happened, how many are hurt, and whether they're awake, breathing or bleeding.
• Your call-back number.

Don't hang up until they tell you to. Dispatchers can talk you through CPR and other care.

Check the person

1. Make sure the scene is safe. Put on gloves if you have them.
2. If they look unresponsive, shout (use their name if you know it), tap the shoulder, and shout again.
3. At the same time, look at the chest for normal breathing, and look for heavy bleeding. Take no more than 10 seconds.
4. If they don't respond, aren't breathing or are only gasping, or are bleeding heavily: call 911 and get an AED. Then give care.
5. If they're awake, ask what happened, where it hurts, and about allergies, medicines and medical conditions. Look for a medical ID bracelet or necklace.

Keep talking to an unresponsive person: they may still hear you.

The recovery position

Use it when someone is breathing but not awake, or might vomit. It keeps the airway open and lets fluid drain out of the mouth. Don't use it if you suspect a head, neck or back injury, unless you must to keep the airway clear.

1. Kneel beside them. Straighten their legs.
2. Put the arm nearest you out at a right angle, palm up.
3. Bring the far arm across the chest. Hold the back of that hand against their near cheek, like a pillow.
4. Bend the far knee up.
5. Hold the far shoulder and the bent knee. Roll them toward you onto their side.
6. Adjust the top leg so the hip and knee are both bent at right angles. This stops them rolling.
7. Gently tilt the head back to keep the airway open. Their mouth should point down a little.
8. Keep them warm. Check breathing often. If breathing stops, roll them onto their back and start CPR.

Shock

Shock means the body isn't getting enough blood. It can follow heavy bleeding, a severe allergic reaction or any serious injury. Call 911.

Signs:

• Fast, weak heartbeat and fast breathing
• Pale, gray, cool or clammy skin
• Confused, restless, irritable, or not responding
• Nausea or vomiting, and great thirst

What to do:

1. Call 911. Treat the cause if you can, such as pressing on bleeding.
2. Lay them flat on their back. If there's no sign of injury, raise their feet about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm), unless another position is more comfortable or easier to breathe in.
3. If they're vomiting, getting drowsy, or you must leave them, use the recovery position.
4. Keep them warm with a blanket or coat. If they're hot, remove a layer.
5. Give nothing to eat or drink, even if they're thirsty. They could vomit and choke.
6. Stay with them, reassure them, and watch their breathing and alertness.

When to move someone, and when not to

If a head, neck or back injury is possible, such as after a car crash, a fall from higher than their own height, a dive into shallow water, or a hard hit in sport:

• Tell them not to move, and to answer you out loud instead of nodding.
• Leave a face-down person face-down unless you need to do CPR.
• Leave babies and children in their car seats unless they need CPR.
• Don't take off a helmet unless you need to do CPR.
• If you must move them, keep head, neck and body in line.

Gloves and hygiene

• Use non-latex disposable gloves if you have them. No gloves? Use a plastic bag, or have the person press on their own wound.
• Don't let gloves delay care for life-threatening bleeding. Wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.
• Use a breathing barrier (CPR face shield) for rescue breaths if you have one.

First aid kit checklist

Red Cross suggests this for a family of four. Keep one at home and one in the car.

• 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 by 9 inches)
• 25 adhesive bandages, assorted sizes
• Adhesive cloth tape
• Antiseptic wipes, antibiotic and hydrocortisone ointment packets
• Sterile gauze pads (3 by 3 and 4 by 4 inches) and roller bandages (3 and 4 inches wide)
• 2 triangular bandages (for slings)
• 2 pairs of non-latex gloves and a breathing barrier with one-way valve
• Instant cold compress and an emergency blanket
• Non-glass thermometer and tweezers
• First aid instructions (print this guide)
• A tourniquet, if you've learned to use it
• Your family's own medicines, as their labels say

Common mistakes

• Waiting to "see if it gets better" before calling 911.
• Giving food or drink to someone in shock, or who isn't fully awake.
• Moving someone with a possible neck or back injury when they're safe where they are.
• Doing nothing for fear of getting it wrong. Calling 911 already helps.

The in-depth guides

Read these next: Stopping Severe Bleeding, CPR and Choking, Burns, Sprains, Broken Bones and Splints, Hypothermia and Frostbite, and Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke.

Sources: American Red Cross: First Aid Steps; American Red Cross: Unresponsive and Breathing Person; American Red Cross: Shock; MedlinePlus: Recovery Position; American Red Cross: Anatomy of a First Aid Kit

Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke

Confused, hot and very sick in the heat? That's heat stroke: call 911 and cool them fast, best in cold water up to the neck.

Do this now

• Confused, slurring words, fainting, having a seizure, or very hot to the touch? Think heat stroke. Call 911 (or your local emergency number).
• Cool them fast while you wait: cold water up to the neck if you can. Otherwise ice packs, a cold shower, or wet them and fan.
• Heat stroke: give nothing to drink.
• Sweating heavily, weak, dizzy, sick? Think heat exhaustion: move them somewhere cool, loosen clothes, cool wet cloths, sips of a sports drink or water.
• Not getting better within an hour, vomiting, or getting worse? Call 911.
• Check on babies, older adults, and anyone alone without air conditioning.

Tell them apart

Heat stroke: cool first, fast

Heat stroke means the body's cooling system has stopped working. Delay can be fatal. Someone with heat stroke may still be sweating, especially after hard exercise.

1. Call 911.
2. Move them somewhere cooler, out of the sun, ideally air-conditioned.
3. Best: put them in cold water up to the neck (a bathtub or a tub of cold water) for 15 minutes, or until they're no longer confused. Stay with them and hold their head above water.
4. No way to immerse them? Use whatever you have, together: ice packs, wet ice-cold towels or sheets, a cold shower or hose, and mist them with water while fanning.
5. Keep cooling for about 20 minutes, or until they improve or help arrives.
6. Give nothing to drink.
7. If they vomit or pass out, put them on their side (recovery position). If they stop breathing normally, start CPR.

Heat exhaustion

1. Move them to a cooler place with moving air, ideally air-conditioned.
2. Loosen or remove extra clothing.
3. Put cool, wet cloths on the skin, spray with cool water, or have them sit in a cool bath. Fan them.
4. If they're awake and can swallow, give sips of a cool drink with salt and sugar (a sports drink or milk), or water. Don't let them gulp.
5. Have them rest lying down.
6. Call 911 if they vomit, can't drink, become confused, get worse, or aren't better within 1 hour. Stop giving drinks, put them on their side, and keep cooling.
7. No hard activity for several hours after symptoms go.

Heat cramps

1. Stop the activity and rest somewhere cool.
2. Gently stretch and massage the muscle, or press firmly on it.
3. Sip water or a sports drink. Stop if they feel sick.
4. Get medical help if cramps last over 1 hour.

Don't use salt tablets. They make dehydration worse.

Never leave children or pets in a car

• Cracked windows barely slow the heating.
• Dashboards and seats can reach 180 to over 200 °F (82 to 93 °C) and burn skin.
• Always look in the back seat before you lock up.
• Lock your car at home, even in the driveway, so young children can't climb in.
• See a child or pet alone in a hot car? Call 911.

Who's most at risk

• Babies and young children
• Adults 65 and older
• People with heart disease, asthma or other long-term illness, and some medicines
• Pregnant women
• People working or exercising outdoors, especially if not used to the heat
• People living alone, or without air conditioning

Lower the risk

• Stay in air conditioning in the hottest part of the day. If home is too hot, go somewhere air-conditioned, such as a public cooling center.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Wear light, loose clothing. Rest in the shade.
• When the heat index is in the high 90s °F or above, a fan alone won't keep you cool and can make you hotter.
• Check on older neighbors and relatives often during a heat wave, especially those who live alone.

Common mistakes

• Thinking someone with heat stroke must be dry. They may still sweat.
• Waiting for the ambulance before cooling.
• Giving drinks to someone who is confused or vomiting.
• "Just a few minutes" in the car.
• Relying on a fan in extreme heat.

Sources: American Red Cross: Heat Stroke; American Red Cross: Heat Exhaustion; National Weather Service: Heat Cramps, Exhaustion, Stroke; National Weather Service: Children and Pets in Hot Vehicles; CDC: About Heat and Your Health

Hypothermia and Frostbite

Hypothermia is an emergency: get them warm and dry, warm the chest first, and call 911. Never rub frostbite or warm it near a fire.

Do this now

• Call 911 (or your local emergency number) if someone is confused, very sleepy, has stopped shivering, or their temperature is below 95 °F (35 °C).
• Get them out of the cold: into a warm room, car or shelter, or out of the wind and wet.
• Take off wet clothes. Dry them and put on dry clothes, a hat, gloves and socks.
• Warm the core first: chest, neck, head and groin. Use blankets, skin-to-skin contact, or an electric blanket for hypothermia.
• Awake and able to swallow? Give warm drinks. No alcohol.
• Not breathing? Start CPR and keep warming them. See the CPR guide.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia means the body is losing heat faster than it makes it, and its core temperature drops below 95 °F (35 °C). Cold water, rain, wind, wet clothes and sweat all cause it, even in weather that isn't freezing.

Signs in adults

• Shivering, then shivering stops as it gets worse
• Exhaustion, drowsiness
• Confusion, memory loss, not caring
• Fumbling hands, slurred speech
• Pale, cold skin, a glassy stare
• Stiff muscles, slow breathing, slow pulse, then unconsciousness

Signs in babies

• Bright red, cold skin
• Very low energy

If a baby has these signs, get medical help right away.

What to do

1. Call 911 for confusion, drowsiness, loss of shivering, slow breathing, or a temperature below 95 °F. Handle the person gently.
2. Move them somewhere warm.
3. Remove wet clothing and dry them.
4. Put on dry clothes, including a hat, gloves and socks. Cover the head.
5. Warm the center of the body first: chest, neck, head and groin. Use an electric blanket if you have one, or skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry blankets, towels or clothes.
6. Far from help? Heating pads or hot-water bottles filled with warm water, wrapped in a thin cloth, can go on the body. Never put them right on the skin.
7. Wrap them in dry blankets. Plastic sheeting, newspaper or cardboard add a layer if that's all you have.
8. Only if they are fully awake and can swallow, give small sips of a warm drink without caffeine, such as warm water or broth.
9. Once warmer, keep them dry and wrapped, including the head and neck. Get them medical care even if they seem better.

Rewarm slowly. Going too fast can upset the heart's rhythm.

Don't

• Don't give alcohol. It makes them feel warmer but makes them lose heat faster.
• Don't give drinks to anyone who isn't fully awake.
• Don't put heat packs or hot-water bottles directly on skin.

Frostbite

Frostbite is frozen skin and the tissue under it. Fingers, toes, ears and the face are most at risk. Severe frostbite can mean losing fingers or toes. Numb skin can't feel damage, so people often don't notice until someone else does.

Signs

• Redness or pain first
• Then white, grayish-yellow, blue or waxy skin
• Skin that feels unusually firm, hard or cold
• Numbness
• Blisters or blackened skin later. These need emergency care.

What to do

1. Check for hypothermia first. It's more dangerous and comes first.
2. Get them into a warm room. Don't walk on frostbitten feet unless you must.
3. Remove wet clothing and any rings or jewelry on the area.
4. Put the area in warm water, 99 to 104 °F (37 to 40 °C). No thermometer? It should feel warm, not hot, to your own unhurt hand.
5. Keep it in until normal color and feeling come back.
6. No warm water? Use body heat: tuck fingers in the armpit, or hold a warm hand on the cheek.
7. Don't break blisters. Loosely cover with a dry, sterile dressing. Put gauze or clean cloth between fingers or toes.
8. Get medical care. All frostbite should be checked.

Don't

• Don't rub or massage it, and never rub snow on it.
• Don't use a heating pad, heat lamp, fireplace, stove, radiator or electric blanket. Numb skin burns easily.
• Don't use hot water.

Prevent cold injuries

• Dress in layers: a base layer that wicks sweat (wool, silk or synthetics, not cotton), a warm middle layer, and a windproof, waterproof outer layer.
• Wear a hat, a scarf or face mask, mittens (warmer than gloves) and water-resistant boots.
• Stay dry. Change out of wet clothes quickly.
• Check on older neighbors and anyone living alone in cold weather.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for shivering. When shivering stops, it's getting worse.
• Warming arms and legs first instead of the chest.
• Giving alcohol, or coffee, "to warm up".
• Rubbing frozen skin, or thawing it near a fire.
• Thinking it has to be freezing outside.

Sources: American Red Cross: Hypothermia; American Red Cross: Frostbite; CDC: Preventing Hypothermia; CDC: Preventing Frostbite

Sprains, Broken Bones and Splints

Treat every bad injury as a break. Don't straighten it; keep it still. Head, neck or back hurt? Don't move them and call 911.

Do this now

• Make sure the scene is safe. Check breathing and heavy bleeding first. Those come before any bone.
• Head, neck or back injury possible? Don't move them. Call 911 (or your local emergency number).
• Don't straighten the injured part. Keep it still, in the position you found it.
• Bleeding? Press on it with a clean cloth. Bone through the skin: cover it, don't push it back.
• Put a cold pack wrapped in a thin towel on it for up to 20 minutes.
• Need to move them for care? Splint it first.

Is it broken?

You often can't tell a sprain from a break without an X-ray. Being able to move it or stand on it doesn't rule out a break. Treat any painful injury as a possible break.

Signs of a break, dislocation or bad sprain:

• Bent, crooked or out-of-place
• A pop or snap at the time of injury, or grating when moved
• Swelling, bruising, and pain
• Can't or won't move it, or put weight on it
• Numb, tingling, cold, pale or blue below the injury
• Bone sticking out through the skin

A young child who won't move a limb or walk on a leg should be treated as having a break.

Call 911 if

• They don't respond, or are getting drowsy.
• A head, neck, back, hip, pelvis or thigh injury is possible.
• Bone is through the skin, or bleeding is heavy.
• Below the injury is pale, cold, clammy or blue, or numb.
• You can't keep it still yourself, or can't safely move them.
• There are signs of shock, or several injuries.
• A rib injury and they're struggling to breathe.

Other breaks still need a doctor promptly.

Head, neck and back: don't move them

Think spine injury after a car crash, a fall from higher than their own height, a dive into shallow water, or a hard hit in sport.

1. Call 911.
2. Tell them not to move, and to answer out loud instead of nodding.
3. Leave them in the position you found them. Move them only to escape danger, to do CPR, or to stop bleeding you can't otherwise reach.
4. Leave children in their car seats. Leave helmets on, unless you need to do CPR.
5. Keep them warm and watch their breathing.

Open fractures (bone through the skin)

1. Call 911.
2. Cover the wound with a sterile or clean dressing.
3. If it keeps bleeding, press with a clean cloth, but don't press on the bone itself.
4. Don't push the bone back in, probe the wound, or breathe on it.
5. Keep the limb still. Watch for shock.

Making a splint

A splint keeps the break from moving while you get help. If help is coming soon and you don't need to move the person, just keep the limb still.

1. Care for any wound first. Cover it.
2. Leave the limb as you found it. Don't straighten or realign it.
3. Find something stiff: a board, sticks, a rolled newspaper or magazine. No stiff object? Use a rolled blanket or clothing.
4. Make it long enough to cover the joint above and the joint below the injury. For a forearm, wrist to past the elbow.
5. Pad it well with cloth, especially at bony spots.
6. Tie it with belts, cloth strips, ties or tape, above and below the injury. Keep knots off the injury.
7. Snug, not tight. Tight ties can cut off blood flow.
8. Check fingers or toes often: pale, blue, numb, cold or swelling? Loosen the ties.
9. If the pain gets worse after splinting, take it off and get medical help.

Finger or toe: tape it to the healthy one next to it ("buddy taping").

Making a sling

For an arm, wrist, elbow, shoulder or collarbone injury. Splint first if needed.

1. Use a triangle of cloth, or fold a large square of cloth corner to corner.
2. Put the elbow at the point of the triangle and the wrist at the middle of the long edge.
3. Bring both ends up and around the neck.
4. Adjust so the hand is a little higher than the elbow, and the elbow is bent at about a right angle.
5. Tie the ends at the side of the neck, not the spine. Pad the knot.
6. The fingertips should show, so you can check their color.

Sprains and strains: RICE

For a twisted ankle, wrist or knee with no sign of a break:

• Rest. Don't use it. Don't walk on a hurt ankle.
• Ice. Cold pack wrapped in a thin towel, up to 20 minutes, then at least 20 minutes off. Never ice right on the skin.
• Compression. Wrap an elastic bandage firmly but not tightly, overlapping each turn by half. Leave toes uncovered so you can check them.
• Elevation. Raise it above the heart, even while sleeping.

Don't use heat on a new injury. Go to a hospital if the joint looks out of place, you heard a pop and can't use it, or the pain is severe.

Common mistakes

• Trying to "pop it back" or straighten it.
• Testing whether it moves.
• Ties so tight they cut off blood flow.
• Moving someone with a neck or back injury to "make them comfortable".
• Taking off a helmet.
• Assuming it's only a sprain because they can walk.

Sources: American Red Cross: Muscle, Bone and Joint Injury; MedlinePlus: Broken Bone; MedlinePlus: How to Make a Splint; MedlinePlus: How to Make a Sling; MedlinePlus: Sprains

Stopping Severe Bleeding

Call 911, then press hard and keep pressing. On an arm or leg, a tourniquet 2 to 3 inches above the wound saves lives.

Do this now

• Make sure the scene is safe for you.
• Call 911 (or your local emergency number), or tell someone to call. Ask for a bleeding control kit or first aid kit.
• Find where the blood is coming from. Open or cut away clothing.
• Press hard on the wound with gauze, a clean cloth, a T-shirt, or your hands. Keep pressing.
• Arm or leg still bleeding badly? Put on a tourniquet 2 to 3 inches above the wound.
• Neck, shoulder, groin, scalp or back? Pack the wound and press.

Is it life-threatening?

A badly bleeding person can die within minutes, before help arrives. Treat bleeding as life-threatening if:

• Blood is spurting, or flowing steadily and won't stop.
• There's a lot of it: about half a soda can's worth, or less for a small child or baby.
• Clothes or bandages are soaking through.
• The person shows signs of shock: pale, cool, clammy skin, fast breathing, confusion.

Any wound to the chest, belly, pelvis, groin or neck needs 911 even if it doesn't look bad.

1. Press hard

1. Put gauze or clean cloth right on the wound. Use your bare hands if you have nothing else.
2. Push down hard with both hands, straight onto the wound. Keep the injured part on a firm surface.
3. Don't let up to look. Keep pressing until the bleeding stops, a tourniquet is on, someone takes over, or help arrives.
4. Blood soaking through? Don't remove the first cloth. You can put one more pad on top and keep pressing.
5. Once it stops, wrap a bandage firmly over the dressing. Check the hand or foot beyond the wound for warmth, color and feeling.

2. Pack the wound

Packing pushes pressure deep inside, where the bleeding is. Use it for life-threatening bleeding from the neck, shoulder, groin, scalp or back, or from an arm or leg when you have no tourniquet. It's best learned in a class.

1. Push gauze or clean cloth into the wound, right onto the bleeding spot, with your fingers.
2. Keep feeding it in until the wound is packed full.
3. Then press down hard on top with both hands and keep pressing.

3. Use a tourniquet

For life-threatening bleeding on an arm or leg that pressure doesn't stop. Use a commercial tourniquet if you have one, and follow its instructions.

1. Place it 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 cm) above the wound, between the wound and the heart. Never on a joint (elbow or knee). If the wound is at or just below a joint, go above the joint.
2. It can go over clothing. Don't put it directly on top of the wound.
3. Warn the person it will hurt. It has to.
4. Pull the strap as tight as you can and fasten it.
5. Twist the rod until the bleeding stops. Don't stop because they say it hurts.
6. Clip or lock the rod so it can't unwind.
7. Note the time. Write it down or remember it, and tell the responders. Left on too long, a tourniquet can damage nerves and tissue, which is why doctors need the time.
8. Still bleeding after it's as tight as it goes? Put a second tourniquet above the first, closer to the body.

No tourniquet? Keep pressing or packing; that's the main option. If you must improvise, wrap a wide strip of cloth or bandage, 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) wide, several times around the limb at the same spot. Tie a knot, lay a stick on it, tie another knot over the stick, and twist the stick until the bleeding stops. Tie the stick in place so it can't unwind, and note the time.

Objects stuck in a wound

• Don't pull it out. That can make bleeding much worse.
• Press around it, not on it.
• Pile dressings around the object and bandage them in place.
• Tourniquet needed? Put it above the object.

While you wait

• Lay the person down. Keep them warm with a coat or blanket.
• Watch for shock. Give nothing to eat or drink. See the first aid guide.
• Stay with them and reassure them.
• Avoid touching blood: use gloves, a plastic bag, or have the person press on their own wound. Wash your hands afterwards. Don't delay care for gloves if bleeding is life-threatening.

Nosebleeds

1. Have the person sit and lean slightly forward, not back. This keeps blood from running down the throat.
2. Pinch the soft part of the nose shut for 10 to 15 minutes without letting go.
3. Call 911 if the bleeding is gushing, won't stop after 15 minutes of pressure, or follows a head or neck injury.

Minor cuts and scrapes

1. Press until it stops bleeding.
2. Wash with soap and warm water and pat dry. Remove loose dirt you can see.
3. Cover with a clean bandage.
4. Get medical care if it may need stitches, dirt won't come out, it's a bite, it shows signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus, fever, red streaks), or the person hasn't had a tetanus shot in 10 years.

Common mistakes

• Lifting the cloth to check. Every peek lets bleeding start again.
• Pressing too gently. Press hard.
• Removing a soaked dressing.
• Putting a tourniquet on a joint, or not tightening it until the bleeding stops.
• Loosening a tourniquet "to let blood through".
• Tipping the head back for a nosebleed.

Sources: American Red Cross: Bleeding, Life-Threatening External; American Red Cross: How to Apply a Tourniquet; MedlinePlus: Bleeding; ACS Stop the Bleed: Get Trained; American Red Cross: Nosebleeds

Car Emergencies and Being Stranded

Keep a kit and a full tank, never drive into flood water, and if you're stranded in snow, stay with the car and keep the exhaust pipe clear.

Do this now

• Water on the road? Turn around. Never drive into flood water or around barriers.
• Stranded in snow? Stay in the car. Call 911 (or your local emergency number) if you need help.
• Before running the engine for heat, clear snow from the exhaust pipe and crack a window.
• Make yourself visible: hazard lights, a bright cloth on the antenna, the hood up once snow stops.
• Never leave children or pets in a parked car, even for a minute.

Car kit checklist

Keep these in the car all year:

• Jumper cables
• Road flares or a reflective warning triangle
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Phone car charger
• Blankets and warm clothes, hats and gloves
• Bottled water and non-perishable snacks
• First aid kit
• A paper map of your area
• Whistle and a bright cloth to signal for help
• Any daily medicines you need

Add for winter:

• Ice scraper and a small shovel
• Sand or cat litter for grip under the tyres
• Extra blankets or a sleeping bag

Keep your tank full

• Keep the tank full, especially when storms are forecast. You may need to evacuate, and fuel pumps don't work when the power is out.
• A full tank also helps keep the fuel line from freezing in winter.
• Have a mechanic check the battery, brakes, lights and tyres before winter.

Stranded in winter

Wind-driven snow and cold can leave you lost and in danger within minutes if you walk away. Stay with the car unless help is close and you can see it.

1. Call 911 if you're in danger or need help. Say where you are, which way you were going, and how many people are with you.
2. Run the engine about 10 minutes each hour for heat.
3. Every time, clear snow from the exhaust pipe first, and open a window a crack while the engine runs.
4. Tie a bright cloth, red if you can, to the antenna or door.
5. At night, turn on the dome light while the engine runs, so rescuers can see you.
6. Once snow stops falling, raise the hood to show you need help.
7. Move your arms, legs, fingers and toes now and then to keep warm. Huddle together and use blankets.
8. Don't overexert yourself. Pushing the car or shovelling heavy snow can bring on a heart attack, and sweating makes you colder.

Avoid winter travel when you can. If you must go, tell someone your route and when you expect to arrive. Turn off cruise control on icy or snowy roads.

Flooded roads

Turn around, don't drown. It's never safe to drive or walk into flood water.

• Water is often deeper than it looks, and the road under it may have washed away.
• Never drive around barriers on a flooded road.
• At night, flooded roads are very hard to see. Slow down where water collects.
• After water goes down, roads may be weakened. Drive with care.

If water is rising around your car

• If the car stalls or water is rising and you can get out safely, get out and move to higher ground right away. Don't wait.
• If you're trapped by moving water, get to the highest point you can and call 911.
• Don't try to walk through moving water.

Breakdowns on the road

1. Turn on your hazard lights.
2. Pull as far off the road as you can, onto the shoulder or an exit.
3. If it's safe, set out flares or a warning triangle well behind the car so other drivers see you.
4. On a busy highway, stay away from traffic. If you can't get well away from the road safely, stay in the car with your seatbelt on.
5. Call for help: roadside assistance, or 911 if you're in danger or blocking traffic.

Heat: never leave anyone in a parked car

• A closed car heats up fast, even on a mild day. Dashboards and seats can reach 180 °F (82 °C) to over 200 °F (93 °C).
• Cracking the windows does not help much.
• Children's bodies heat up faster than adults'. Every year dozens of children and many pets die after being left in parked cars.
• Never leave a child, an older person or a pet in a parked car, not even for a minute.
• Put something you need, like your bag or phone, in the back seat so you always check before you lock up.
• If you see a child or pet alone in a hot car, call 911.

Common mistakes

• Driving into water you think is shallow. A foot of moving water can float a car.
• Walking away from a stuck car in a snowstorm. Stay with it.
• Running the engine with a blocked exhaust. Carbon monoxide builds up fast.
• Letting the tank run low before a storm.
• "Just a minute" in a hot car. It only takes minutes for a car to become deadly.

Sources: Ready.gov: Car Safety; Ready.gov: Winter Weather; National Weather Service: Winter Safety, During; National Weather Service: Turn Around Don't Drown; National Weather Service: Heat Safety, During

Finding Your Way Without GPS

Keep paper maps and offline phone maps of your area, learn a few landmarks and directions, and if you're lost, stop and stay put.

Do this now

• If you're lost: stop. Don't keep walking or driving in circles.
• Look for a road sign, landmark or anything you know.
• Use a paper map or an offline map on your phone if you have one.
• If you can't work out where you are, stay put and call 911 (or your local emergency number) if you can.

GPS and map apps can fail when phone networks, power or the internet go down. A few simple skills and a paper map will get you where you need to go.

Before: get ready

• Keep a paper map of your area in your car and go-bag. Mark your home, meeting places, shelters, hospitals and your evacuation routes.
• Mark at least two ways out of your area, in different directions.
• Download offline maps of your area in your map app now, while you have internet. Update them every few months.
• Write your evacuation routes on paper, turn by turn, with road names and landmarks.
• Keep a small compass with the map, and learn to use it before you need it.
• Pack a spare phone battery or power bank.
• Before a hike or trip, tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back.

Landmarks

• Learn the big landmarks around home: rivers, hills, water towers, highways, railways, tall buildings.
• Notice which side of you they're on as you travel. A river or highway on your left on the way out will be on your right on the way back.
• When you stop or arrive somewhere new, look around and note landmarks so you can find your way back.
• Look behind you now and then. The way back looks different from the way in.

Using a compass and map

1. Hold the compass flat in front of you. The coloured end of the needle (usually red) points to magnetic north.
2. Lay the map flat. Turn it until north on the map (the top, unless the map shows otherwise) points the same way as the needle. The map is now oriented: the roads on it line up with the real roads.
3. Find two or three landmarks you can see, and match them to the map to work out where you are.
4. Pick a direction to travel, then pick a landmark in that direction to walk or drive toward.

A compass needle doesn't point exactly to true north. The difference is called declination, and it depends on where you are and the year. Topographic maps print it on the edge. For finding your way around town it hardly matters. Over long distances in the backcountry, it adds up, so learn to correct for it before you go.

Using the sun

• The sun rises roughly in the east and sets roughly in the west. It's only exactly east and west in spring and autumn; it's farther north in summer and farther south in winter.
• In most of the United States, around midday the sun is roughly to the south.
• So your shadow at midday points roughly north.
• This is good enough to keep you heading the right general way, not for exact directions.

Using the North Star

On a clear night in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Star (Polaris) shows you north. It stays in almost the same spot all night while other stars move around it.

1. Find the Big Dipper: seven bright stars shaped like a ladle.
2. Find the two stars at the end of the cup, away from the handle. These are the "pointer stars".
3. Follow a line through them, upward out of the cup, to the next fairly bright star. That's the North Star, at the end of the Little Dipper's handle.
4. Face it. You're facing north; east is to your right, west to your left, south behind you.

The North Star isn't the brightest star in the sky, but you can usually spot it, even from a city.

Phones without signal

• GPS in your phone can still show your position without phone signal, but the map won't load unless you downloaded it ahead.
• Turn on battery saver and turn the screen off between checks.
• Take a screenshot of key maps and directions while you still have signal.

When you're lost: STOP

1. Stop. Admit you're lost. Stay calm.
2. Think. How did you get here? What was the last place you were sure of?
3. Observe. Look for landmarks, roads, trails, shelter and water. Check your map and compass.
4. Plan. Decide what to do, and use your supplies carefully.

If you can safely retrace your steps to a place you know, do it. If you can't:

• Call 911 if you can. Share your last known location, what you see around you, what you're wearing and any medical needs.
• Stay where you are. Changing location makes it harder for rescuers to find you. Move only if your life is in immediate danger.
• If you have no signal, find shelter and save your water, food and battery.
• Signal for help: see the signaling guide.

Teach children: if you're lost, hug a tree and stay put.

Common mistakes

• Relying only on phone maps. Keep a paper map and download offline maps ahead.
• Keeping on walking when lost. Stop first. Wandering makes searches harder and wears you out.
• Never practising. Use your map and compass on a normal day first.
• Not telling anyone your plans before a trip. Searchers need to know where to start.

Sources: National Park Service: The 10 Essentials; National Park Service: Make an Emergency Plan; Texas Parks and Wildlife: When You Are Lost; NASA: What Is the North Star and How Do You Find It?; USGS: What is declination?

Generator Safety

Run a generator outside only, at least 20 feet from the house, never in a garage, and keep a working CO alarm inside.

Do this now

• Put the generator outside, at least 20 feet (6 metres) from the house, with the exhaust pointing away from doors, windows and vents.
• Make sure a battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide (CO) alarm is working inside.
• Plug appliances into the generator with heavy-duty outdoor extension cords. Never into a wall outlet.
• Keep it dry, out of rain, snow and standing water.
• Turn it off and let it cool before adding fuel.
• If anyone feels dizzy, sick or confused, get everyone outside and call 911 (or your local emergency number).

Why this matters

A generator makes carbon monoxide, a gas you can't see or smell. It can kill within minutes, often before people notice symptoms. People who are asleep or have been drinking can die before they notice anything.

Where to put it

• Outside only, at least 20 feet (6 metres) from the house.
• Point the exhaust away from your home and any building people can go into.
• Never run it inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or shed, even with doors or windows open. Open doors do not let enough air in.
• Don't run it on a porch or in a carport. They are too close to the house.
• Don't put it in front of an open window.

Carbon monoxide alarms

• Put battery-operated CO alarms, or alarms with battery backup, on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas.
• Test them every month and replace batteries if needed.
• Some newer generators have a CO shut-off feature that turns the engine off if CO builds up nearby. Look for it when you buy one.
• If the alarm sounds, don't ignore it. Get everyone outside into fresh air, then call 911.

Signs of CO poisoning: headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. It is often mistaken for the flu. See the carbon monoxide guide.

Connecting things safely

• Plug appliances straight into the generator, using its own cords, or use grounded three-prong heavy-duty extension cords made for outdoor use.
• Use cords rated for the full load you plug into them. Check cords for cuts or bare wires before each use.
• Never plug the generator into a wall outlet or connect it to your home's wiring. This is called backfeeding. It can send power back into the lines and kill utility workers or neighbours, and can damage your home's electrical system.
• To run household circuits, have a qualified electrician install a transfer switch. Your power company may be able to help.
• Don't plug in more than the generator is rated for. Check the label or manual.

Keep it dry

• Keep the generator dry and protected from rain or flooding. If you need cover, use an open canopy on a dry surface. Don't put it in a shed or enclosed space.
• Don't run it in standing water, and don't touch it with wet hands.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for wet weather.

Fuel and refuelling

1. Turn the generator off.
2. Let it cool down. Fuel spilled on hot engine parts can catch fire.
3. Refuel outdoors, away from the house.
4. Wipe up spills before starting it again.

Never refuel it while it is running.

Storing fuel

• Store fuel outside living areas, in labelled, non-glass safety containers.
• Don't store it near a fuel-burning appliance, such as a gas stove. Vapours can catch fire from a pilot light.
• Keep it out of reach of children.

What to power first

Decide before an outage, because a portable generator can't run everything. A useful order:

1. Medical equipment that someone depends on (talk to the doctor about a plan; see the medical needs guide).
2. The refrigerator and freezer. Keep their doors closed.
3. A few lights, a radio and phone charging.
4. Heat, if you have a safe electric way to use it.

Common mistakes

• Running it in the garage "with the door open", or just outside a window.
• Using a cord with plugs on both ends to feed a wall outlet. This is backfeeding and can kill.
• Refuelling while it is hot or running.
• Wrapping it in a tarp or box to keep rain off, which traps exhaust. Use an open canopy.
• Ignoring a CO alarm or headache because "it's just a cold".
• Using a light indoor extension cord that overheats.

Sources: CDC: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics; CPSC: Winter storm safety tips to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and fires (2026); OSHA: Restoring Electrical Utilities; Ready.gov: Power Outages; FEMA: Be Safe When Using a Portable Generator

Signaling for Help

Stay where you are and make yourself easy to find: three whistle blasts, a flashing mirror or light, bright colours and big ground signals.

Do this now

• If you have a phone with signal, call 911 (or your local emergency number). If calls fail, try a text.
• Stay where you are unless you're in immediate danger. Moving makes you harder to find.
• Blow a whistle in sets of three blasts, then listen.
• Make yourself easy to see: bright clothing, a flashing mirror, a light.
• Save your energy and your phone battery.

Using your phone

• Call 911 first. Tell them where you are or your last known location, what's around you, what you're wearing and any injuries.
• If a call won't connect, send a text. Texts may get through when calls don't, and they use less battery.
• Turn on location sharing with a family member if you can.
• Once you've told rescuers where you are, stay put unless your life is in immediate danger.
• No signal? Save the battery. Turn the phone off and try again from time to time, or from higher ground nearby if it's safe.

Whistle

• A whistle carries farther than your voice and takes far less energy than shouting.
• Blow three blasts, rest, then repeat. Three of anything (blasts, flashes, fires) is a widely known distress signal.
• If you hear voices, a whistle or an aircraft, answer straight away with three more blasts.
• Keep a whistle in every go-bag, car kit and child's backpack. Teach children to use it only in an emergency.

Mirrors and flashes

• A mirror, a CD or any shiny surface can catch the sun and flash a signal that pilots can see from far away. Mirrors never run out of battery.
• Aim the flash toward the plane, helicopter or searchers, and keep flashing it.

Bright colours

• Wear bright clothing, or spread a bright jacket, blanket or tarp where it can be seen from above.
• In a stranded car, tie a bright cloth, red if you have one, to the antenna or a door.

Ground signals

• Make a signal that can be seen from a plane or helicopter. Use rocks, logs, branches or clothing.
• Make it big and in a colour that contrasts with the ground: dark rocks on snow, bright fabric on grass.
• Build it in an open area, like a clearing or a field, away from trees.
• SOS in large letters is understood everywhere.
• Three of anything, like three piles of rocks or three fires, also means help.

At night

• Use a flashlight or headlamp to flash SOS: three short, three long, three short. Pause, then repeat.
• Turn on a car's dome light at night, but only while the engine is running, to save the battery.
• A fire can be a signal where it's safe and allowed. Keep it small and under control, never near dry grass or in high wind.

If you're trapped at home or in a building

After an earthquake, collapse or storm:

1. Don't shout unless you can see rescuers. Shouting wastes energy and makes you breathe in dust.
2. Cover your mouth and nose with your shirt to keep out dust.
3. Text or call 911 if your phone works.
4. Bang on a pipe or wall so rescuers can hear you. Tap in sets of three, then wait and listen.
5. Blow a whistle if you have one.
6. Stay where you are and save your energy until help arrives.

If you're safe at home but need help and your phone doesn't work, keep a flashlight ready to flash SOS at night and use your whistle when you hear people outside.

Stranded in your car

• Stay with the car. It's easier for rescuers to see than a person, and walking away in bad weather can leave you lost.
• Tie a bright cloth to the antenna or door.
• When snow stops falling, raise the hood to show you need help.
• See the car emergencies guide for keeping warm and safe.

Lost outdoors

• Stop. As soon as you think you're lost, stop moving.
• Changing location makes you harder to find. Move only if your life is in immediate danger.
• Tell children: if you're lost, find a tree, hug it and stay put.
• See the navigation guide for more.

Save your energy

• Rest in shelter out of the wind, sun or rain between signals.
• Use the whistle instead of shouting.
• Save your phone and flashlight batteries for when you hear or see searchers.
• Don't overdo it: pushing a car or digging heavy snow can cause a heart attack, and sweating makes you colder later.

Common mistakes

• Wandering off. Moving makes it much harder for searchers to find you.
• Shouting until you're hoarse. A whistle or tapping lasts longer and carries farther.
• Using up the phone battery on games or repeated calls. Save it for 911 and short texts.
• Small signals. From the air, small things vanish. Make them big and bright.
• Leaving the car in a snowstorm. Stay with it unless help is in sight close by.

Sources: National Park Service: Make an Emergency Plan; Texas Parks and Wildlife: When You Are Lost; Ready.gov: Earthquakes; National Weather Service: Winter Safety, During

Staying in Touch When Phones Are Down

Text, don't call. Keep calls short, check in with one out-of-town contact, save your battery, and keep a battery radio for news.

Do this now

• For a life-threatening emergency, call 911 (or your local emergency number) first.
• Text, don't call family and friends. Texts often get through when calls don't.
• Send one text to your out-of-town contact: where you are and whether you're OK.
• Turn your screen brightness down and close apps you don't need.
• Turn on a battery or hand-crank radio for news and instructions.

Why phones stop working

After a disaster, everyone tries to call at once. The network fills up, so calls fail even when your phone shows signal. Power cuts and damaged towers can make it worse. Texts are small and can wait in line until there's room, so they often get through when calls don't. Texting also keeps lines free for emergency workers.

Using your phone well

• Text first. Keep messages short: who you are, where you are, whether you're OK, and what you need.
• Keep calls short. Say only what matters, then hang up so others can get through.
• If a call fails, wait a little before you try again instead of redialling over and over.
• Check in once with your out-of-town contact. They pass the news on to everyone else, so the whole family isn't calling each other. A long-distance number may be easier to reach than a local one.
• Social media: one short post or a safety check-in feature, if your apps offer one, tells many people at once that you're safe.
• If voice calls fail but you have data, try a messaging or internet calling app.

911

• Call 911 if you can. It's still the most reliable way to get help.
• Many areas also accept texts to 911. Use this if you can't speak safely, are deaf or hard of hearing, or calls won't go through. Put your location and the emergency in the first message. If texting isn't available, you'll get a message back telling you to call instead.
• Don't send 911 a group text or photos unless asked.

Save your battery

• Dim the screen and turn on battery-saver or low-power mode.
• Close apps you don't need and turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi if you're not using them.
• Keep your phone warm in cold weather; cold drains batteries.
• Charge fully whenever power is available, and carry a charged power bank.
• A car charger works, but only run the car outdoors, never in a garage.

Radio: news when everything else is down

• A battery-powered or hand-crank radio needs no phone network. Keep one in your kit with spare batteries.
• AM and FM stations carry emergency announcements through the Emergency Alert System, and local stations give road closures and shelter news.
• NOAA Weather Radio is a nationwide network run by the National Weather Service. It broadcasts weather all day and night and also carries warnings for other emergencies. You need a weather-band radio to hear it; a model with a tone alert will wake you for warnings.

Emergency alerts on your phone

• Wireless Emergency Alerts look like text messages but make a special loud sound and vibration. You don't need to sign up and they're free.
• Check your phone settings to make sure they're on.
• Sign up for your county or city's own alerts too; ask your local emergency management office.

Two-way radios

Two-way radios let your family talk over short distances with no phone network at all, for example between houses on a street or cars in a convoy.

• Agree on a channel and a check-in time ahead of time (for example, the top of every hour) to save batteries.
• Keep spare batteries for the radios.
• A GMRS licence holder may let anyone use their radio in an emergency.

Before an emergency

• Write important numbers on paper. Don't rely on your phone's memory.
• Choose an out-of-town contact and make sure everyone has the number.
• Keep a power bank and car charger in your kit.
• Get a battery or hand-crank radio, ideally with NOAA Weather Radio.
• Check Wireless Emergency Alerts are on.
• Teach children how to text.

Common mistakes

• Calling over and over. It jams the network. Send a text instead.
• Long calls. Keep them short so others can get through.
• Letting the battery run down. Save power from the start; you don't know how long the outage will last.
• Numbers only in the phone. If it dies, you lose them. Keep a paper card.
• Using a GMRS radio without a licence. You need one for normal use. FRS radios need none.

Sources: Ready.gov Kids: Make a Plan; Ready.gov: Emergency Alerts; FCC rules via Cornell LII: 47 CFR 95.305 (Personal Radio Services, no individual licence); FCC rules via Cornell LII: 47 CFR 95.1705 (GMRS licence); FCC rules via Cornell LII: 47 CFR 97.5 (amateur licence)

Staying Warm Without Power or Heat

Close off one room, dress in layers with a hat, and never heat your home with an oven, grill or generator.

Do this now

• Pick one room for everyone. Close the doors to the rest of the house.
• Put rolled towels under doors. Cover windows with blankets or close heavy curtains at night.
• Put on layers, a hat and dry socks. Wrap up in blankets.
• Check that your carbon monoxide (CO) alarm works.
• Never use an oven, gas stove, grill or generator to heat the house.
• Check on older neighbours, babies and anyone who lives alone.

Make one warm room

1. Choose an inside room with few windows and no outside doors, if you can.
2. Close doors to rooms you aren't using, and don't open outside doors more than you need to.
3. Stuff towels or clothing under the doors to stop drafts.
4. At night, close curtains or cover windows with blankets.
5. Gather everyone in that room. A small room is easier to keep warm.

Keep your body warm

• Wear several layers of loose clothing. Wool, silk or synthetic layers next to the skin hold heat better than cotton.
• Wear a hat, socks and shoes indoors. Use a scarf or mittens if you are cold.
• Stay dry. Wet clothing chills you fast. Change out of damp clothes and socks.
• Sleep under several blankets or in sleeping bags, together in the warm room.
• Eat regular meals. Food gives your body fuel to make heat.
• Drink warm, sweet drinks or broth. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. They make your body lose heat faster.
• Move around a little to warm up, but don't work up a sweat.
• Don't ignore shivering. It is an early sign you are losing heat. Add layers, get to the warm room and have a warm drink.

Babies and older adults

• Babies under 1 year should never sleep in a cold room. Dress them in warm sleepwear. Keep pillows, blankets and soft bedding out of their sleep area, even when it is cold.
• Older adults often make less body heat. If you are over 65, check the temperature in your home often. Check on older friends and neighbours often.
• If you can't keep your home warm, go stay with someone who has heat, or go to a warming centre.

Safe heat only

Space heaters

• Use electric heaters with an automatic shut-off.
• Keep all sides at least 3 feet (1 metre) from beds, curtains, furniture, clothes and papers.
• Plug it straight into a wall outlet. Never use an extension cord or power strip.
• Never cover a heater, set it on furniture, or put it near water.
• Don't leave it on while you sleep or when you leave the room.
• Stop using any heater with a damaged cord or that sparks.

Fireplaces and wood stoves

• Use them only if they are vented to the outside and the chimney is in good shape. A cracked, blocked or dirty chimney can start a fire.
• Don't burn paper in a fireplace.
• Have heating systems checked by a professional every year.

Light

• Use flashlights or battery lanterns instead of candles. If you use candles, never leave them burning unattended, and put them out before sleeping.

Carbon monoxide

• Keep a battery-powered or battery-backup CO alarm in the home.
• Headache, dizziness, upset stomach or confusion in the cold can be CO poisoning, not the flu. Get everyone outside and call 911 (or your local emergency number). See the carbon monoxide guide.

When to leave

• If it is extremely cold and you can't heat your home, go to a place that has power and heat.
• Ask local officials, or listen to local news, for open warming centres near you.
• If officials tell you to go somewhere warmer, go.

Hypothermia: know the signs

Hypothermia is when body temperature gets dangerously low. It can happen indoors.

If a person's temperature is below 95 °F (35 °C), it is an emergency. Call 911.

While you wait:

1. Move them to the warmest room.
2. Take off wet clothes.
3. Warm the centre of the body first (chest, neck, head and groin) with blankets or skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry layers.
4. Give warm drinks only if they are awake. No alcohol.

See the cold injuries guide for more, including frostbite.

Stop pipes freezing

• Let taps drip slightly so water keeps moving.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks so warm air reaches the pipes.
• If a pipe freezes, thaw it slowly with warm air, such as a hair dryer. Never use a torch or open flame.

Common mistakes

• Turning on the oven or a gas burner "just for a while".
• Bringing a grill or camp heater inside.
• Plugging a space heater into an extension cord or power strip.
• Drinking alcohol to "warm up". It makes you lose heat faster.
• Putting extra blankets in a baby's crib.
• Waiting too long to leave a home that is getting colder.

Sources: CDC: Safety Guidelines During and After a Winter Storm; CDC: Preventing Hypothermia; Ready.gov: Power Outages; CPSC: Stay Warm Safely This Winter (2025)

Toilets and Hygiene Without Running Water

If sewers or water may be broken, don't flush. Use a lined bucket, keep waste away from food and water, and wash hands.

Do this now

• Stop flushing if sewer lines may be damaged (after an earthquake or flood) or officials say not to.
• Set up a lined bucket or a bag in the toilet bowl (steps below).
• Put the toilet away from where you cook and eat.
• Set up a place to wash hands with soap and clean water.
• Keep drinking water, food and dishes well away from waste.
• Listen to local officials for when toilets are safe again.

When not to flush

• After an earthquake, don't use the toilet, even if your own pipes look fine. The pipes under the street may be broken.
• If sewage is backing up into your home, stop flushing.
• If you have a septic system, you can usually keep using it if there is no sign of leaks or backup into the house.
• Check with local officials. They will say when sewers are working again.

Make an emergency toilet

Bag in a bucket or toilet bowl

This works for almost any home.

1. Use a 5-gallon (about 19-litre) bucket with a lid, or your toilet bowl.
2. Line it with two heavy-duty plastic garbage bags, one inside the other.
3. Put absorbent material in the bottom: cat litter, sawdust, wood shavings, fireplace ashes or shredded paper.
4. After each use, sprinkle on about half a cup (about 120 mL) more to cut smell and keep flies away.
5. Keep the lid closed between uses. Keep small children supervised.
6. At the end of each day, or when the bag is about half full, put on disposable gloves, tie the bags tightly and seal them.

Two buckets (better for more than a few days)

Pee and poo are easier to store when kept apart. Pee makes most of the volume and smell, but poo carries most of the germs.

• Label one bucket pee and one poo (or #1 and #2).
• The poo bucket is lined and gets absorbent material, as above. Try not to pee in it.
• The pee bucket does not need a bag. When it is about a quarter full, add some water if you can and pour it on the lawn or bare ground. Use a different spot each time.
• Put used toilet paper in a separate plastic bag, not in the pee bucket.

Store and get rid of waste

• Keep tied bags outdoors or in a garage or shed, away from food and water, in a covered container separate from your normal trash.
• Keep them away from pets, flies and rats.
• Don't put human waste in the regular trash unless officials announce that you can. When sewers or garbage pickup return, follow their instructions.
• In the country, a pit latrine is an option. Dig it at least 3 feet (1 metre) deep and at least 100 feet (30 metres) from wells, streams, lakes and homes. Cover waste with dirt, ash or lime after each use. Latrines are not suitable in towns and cities.

Wash your hands

Handwashing stops most illness spread by toilets. Wash after using the toilet, after emptying buckets or changing diapers, and before cooking or eating.

1. Make a handwashing station: a jug of clean water with a spigot (tap), soap, paper towels and a bucket underneath to catch the water.
2. If you can, set up two: one by the toilet and one by the kitchen.
3. Wet your hands, lather with soap (backs, between fingers, under nails), and scrub for at least 20 seconds. Rinse and dry.
4. Wipe the spigot clean often. Use a paper towel to turn it off.
5. Don't reuse the dirty catch water, except to pour into the pee bucket before you empty it.

If you have no soap and water, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. It works less well on hands that are visibly dirty or greasy, and it does not remove chemicals.

During a boil water advisory, it may be safe to wash hands with tap water. Follow your local officials. Use only clean water to brush teeth.

Diapers and periods

• Keep extra diapers and period products in your kit and rotate them.
• Bag used diapers, pads and tampons in heavy-duty plastic bags. Store and dispose of them with the bagged poo.
• A small child can use a potty. Empty it into the buckets.
• Menstrual cups are washable and reusable. Try one before an emergency if you want to rely on it. Wash it with clean water.

Keep drinking water separate

• Store at least 1 gallon (about 4 litres) per person per day for drinking and hygiene. Two weeks is a good goal (see the water guide).
• Keep your toilet and waste bags far from stored water and food.
• Wash hands before touching drinking water or containers.
• Never let waste, catch water or cleaning water drain into water you will drink.

Clean and disinfect

Use regular, unscented household bleach (5% to 9%). Wear gloves and eye protection, and open windows and doors.

Wash first with soap and water, then rinse, apply the bleach mix, and let it air dry.

Common mistakes

• Flushing after an earthquake because the toilet "still works". The street sewer may not.
• Using one thin bag. Use two heavy-duty bags.
• Filling the bag too full to tie.
• Putting the toilet near food, or storing waste bags inside the living space.
• Skipping handwashing because water is short. Use a jug station or sanitizer every time.

Sources: Oregon State University Extension: Survival Basics: Sanitation and Waste Management; Public Health Seattle and King County: Emergency toilets; CDC: Guidelines for Personal Hygiene During an Emergency; CDC: How to Safely Clean and Sanitize with Bleach

Babies, Children and Older Adults

Plan for the people who need the most help: safe baby feeding, a contact card for each child, and a support network for older adults.

Do this now

• Babies: if tap water may be unsafe, use ready-to-feed formula, or mix powdered formula only with bottled or boiled water.
• Keep babies on their backs to sleep, in their own flat sleep space, with no pillows or soft bedding.
• Make sure each child has a contact card in their bag and knows your plan.
• Older adults: gather medicines, glasses, hearing aids, mobility aids and chargers, and keep them close.
• Call or visit older neighbours and relatives who live alone.

Babies

Feeding

• Breastfeeding is the safest way to feed a baby in an emergency. If you breastfeed, plan to keep going.
• Ready-to-feed formula is the safest formula. It doesn't need to be mixed with water. Keep single-serving cans or bottles in your kit and check the dates.
• It matters most for babies under 2 months, babies born early, and babies with weak immune systems. Powdered formula is not sterile.
• Use prepared formula within 1 hour of starting a feed and within 2 hours of making it. If you don't use it within 2 hours, refrigerate it and use it within 24 hours.
• If you must use powdered formula and tap water may not be safe, mix it with bottled water. If you have none, boil water for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet, or 2,000 metres) and let it cool before mixing.
• Clean bottles and nipples with safe water and soap before each use. If you can't clean them, use disposable cups once each and throw them away.
• After a power outage of 4 hours or more, or if the fridge is above 40 °F (4 °C), throw away opened or prepared formula stored there.
• Throw away formula cans that touched floodwater or are dented, rusty, puffy or have a broken seal.

Sleep

• Put your baby on their back for every sleep, naps and night.
• Use a firm, flat surface such as a crib, bassinet or portable crib, with a fitted sheet. Don't use a tilted surface.
• Keep pillows, blankets, bumper pads and soft toys out of the sleep area.
• Keep the baby's sleep space in the room where you sleep.
• Don't cover the baby's head. Babies should never sleep in a cold room, so dress them in warm sleepwear instead of adding blankets (see the staying warm guide). Watch for overheating too: sweating or a hot chest.

Baby kit checklist

• Ready-to-feed formula, or powdered formula with bottled water, bottles and a measuring cup
• Disposable cups, spoons, bibs and dishes
• Nursing pads, or a manual breast pump for power outages
• Plenty of diapers and wipes
• Diaper rash cream and zip bags for dirty diapers and clothes
• Baby food and snacks for your child's age
• Extra clothes, warm sleepwear, a baby carrier, a portable crib
• Infant pain reliever (use only as the label says) and a thermometer
• Medical and vaccination records

Check every month that you have formula for several days and replace it before it expires.

Children

Talk to them

• Tell children, calmly, what could happen and what the family will do. Keep it simple for their age.
• Help older children memorise your phone number and one other trusted adult's.
• Practise your family plan and your meeting place together.

Contact card

Make a card for your child's backpack and a copy for your wallet:

• The child's name and date of birth
• Medical conditions and allergies
• Contact details for the school or childcare and other caregivers
• Your phone number and address
• Emergency contacts to call if you can't be reached

Keep a recent photo of each child on your phone.

School and childcare plans

Ask your child's school or childcare:

• How will you tell parents about an emergency or evacuation?
• Where should parents go to pick up children?
• Who is allowed to pick up my child if I can't get there?

Review the plan every year and keep your contact details up to date. During an emergency, follow the school's instructions on when and where to collect your child.

If you are separated from a child, see the guide on what to do if someone goes missing.

Older adults

Build a support network

• Choose family, friends and neighbours who will check on you during an emergency, and practise your plan with them.
• Give them a list of your contacts and tell them where your supplies are.
• Make sure at least one person knows how to use your medical equipment or give your medicine.

What to pack

• Medicines and medical supplies (see the medicines and medical needs guide)
• A written list of medicines, doses and allergies
• Spare glasses, hearing aids and batteries
• Walker, cane, wheelchair, and chargers or spare batteries for powered aids
• Copies of Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance cards
• Phone numbers for doctors, pharmacy and your support network

Plan to move

• Plan how you will take your mobility aids and other devices with you if you evacuate.
• Not all shelters accept pets. Plan for your pet too (see the pets guide).
• If officials tell you to evacuate, go. Ask your support network for a ride early.

Check on older neighbours

Older adults often make less body heat and can get dangerously cold indoors. In heat waves, cold snaps and outages, call or knock every day. Make sure they have water, food, medicine and a working phone.

Common mistakes

• Mixing powdered formula with tap water that may be unsafe.
• Putting extra blankets or pillows in a baby's crib to keep them warm.
• No contact card or out-of-date numbers at school.
• Packing medicines but forgetting glasses, hearing aids or chargers.
• Assuming someone else is checking on an older neighbour.

Sources: CDC: Special Considerations for Infant Feeding in Emergencies; CDC: Prepare and Store Powdered Infant Formula in an Emergency; CDC: Helping Babies Sleep Safely; CDC: Keeping Children Safe Away from Home; Ready.gov: Older Adults

Coping With Stress During and After a Disaster

Strong feelings after a disaster are normal. Look after the basics, limit the news, talk to someone, and call or text 1-800-985-5990 for help.

Do this now

• If someone may hurt themselves or others, call 911 (or your local emergency number), or call or text 988.
• Take a few slow, deep breaths. Get safe, then get some water and food.
• Keep children close and tell them, simply and honestly, what is happening and what you are doing to keep them safe.
• Turn off the news for a while.
• Talk to someone you trust, or call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990.

What is normal

There is no right or wrong way to feel. After a disaster, strong feelings are normal, even if you only saw it happen. You may:

• Feel scared, nervous, sad, angry, guilty or numb.
• Have trouble sleeping or eating, or sleep much more than usual.
• Find it hard to think clearly, remember things or concentrate.
• Get headaches or stomachaches, or startle easily.
• Want to be alone most of the time.

For most people these ease with time. Reminders of the event can bring the feelings back for a while.

Look after yourself

1. Cover the basics. Eat regular meals, drink water and rest when you can.
2. Protect your sleep. Go to bed and get up at your usual times. Avoid caffeine, screens and alcohol before bed. If worries wake you, write them down.
3. Keep a routine. Regular meals and bedtimes help everyone, especially children.
4. Limit the news. Constant news and pictures can raise anxiety and make you relive the event. Check for updates at set times, then turn it off.
5. Move your body. A walk, stretching or slow breathing can lower stress.
6. Avoid alcohol and drugs. They may seem to help but add problems and make stress worse.
7. Talk to someone you trust about how you feel: family, a friend, a counsellor, a doctor or a faith leader.
8. Delay big decisions if you can. Big changes are harder to manage after a disaster.
9. Spend time with animals or outdoors if you can. Both can help recovery.
10. Join a support group. A financial adviser can help you plan if money is a worry.

Helping children cope

Children may not say how they feel. Watch for changes in behaviour.

Children with special needs may react more strongly and need more reassurance, explanation and comfort.

What helps:

• Stay calm yourself. Look after your own stress: sleep, eat well, move, avoid alcohol and drugs.
• Talk and listen. Let them share feelings and ask questions. Answer honestly in words they understand. Correct rumours they have heard.
• Get back to routines: meals together, bedtimes, school. If things have changed, explain what, why and for how long.
• Limit what they see on TV and online about the disaster.
• Keep them with you or another trusted adult. Children cope better when they know a disruption is temporary.
• Tell teachers and caregivers how your child is doing, and ask what they notice.

When to get help

Get help from a doctor, counsellor or other professional if:

• Feelings or problems don't ease, get worse, or stop you from caring for yourself or your family.
• You are using alcohol or drugs to cope.
• A child is still very anxious, scared, sad or angry more than 2 to 4 weeks after the disaster, is getting worse, or is struggling at school or with friends for a long time.

Disaster Distress Helpline

• Call or text 1-800-985-5990. For Spanish, press 2.
• Free to call, 24 hours a day, every day, for anyone in the US and its territories who is upset by a disaster. Standard text rates apply.
• Counsellors can help in over 100 languages through interpreters.
• Deaf and hard of hearing people can use their preferred relay service to call or text the same number.

Check on others

• Call or visit neighbours who live alone, are older, or have health problems.
• Ask simple questions: Are you OK? Do you have food, water and medicine? Do you need anything?
• Listen more than you talk. You don't have to fix their feelings.
• Share the helpline number.

Common mistakes

• Thinking you should "be over it" by now.
• Watching hours of coverage, or letting children watch it.
• Using alcohol to sleep.
• Hiding everything from children. Answer their questions honestly, in words they understand.
• Waiting until you can't cope before asking for help.

Sources: SAMHSA: Disaster Distress Helpline; SAMHSA: Coping Tips for Traumatic Events and Disasters; CDC: Helping Children Cope with a Disaster; CDC: Healthy Ways to Deal with Stress after a Natural Disaster

Medicines and Medical Needs

Keep an emergency supply of medicines and a written list, and have a backup plan for any device that needs power.

Do this now

• Gather all your medicines, supplies and your written medicine list into one bag.
• Charge medical devices and spare batteries while you still have power.
• Keep insulin and other cold medicines as cool as you can, but never frozen.
• Oxygen users: put out candles and keep oxygen away from flames and heaters.
• Dialysis patients: call your centre about your schedule and start the emergency diet if you may miss treatment.
• If your life depends on a device or treatment you can't get, call 911 (or your local emergency number) or go to the nearest hospital or shelter.

Before: your medicine supply

• Keep several days' supply of prescription medicines. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how to build an emergency supply. Don't change doses or stop a medicine on your own.
• Write a list of every medicine: name, dose, how often and what it's for. Add allergies, your conditions, and your doctor's and pharmacy's phone numbers. Keep one copy in your kit, one in your wallet, and a photo on your phone.
• Keep copies of insurance cards (Medicare, Medicaid or private).
• Pack medical supplies (test strips, syringes, bandages, catheters) with the medicines.
• Keep spare glasses or contacts, hearing aids and batteries in your kit.
• Check dates and replace medicines before they expire.

Insulin and medicines that need the fridge

Insulin is normally kept in the fridge at about 36 °F to 46 °F (2 °C to 8 °C).

• Keep insulin out of direct sunlight and away from heat. Keep it as cool as you can.
• If you use ice or a cooler, don't let the insulin freeze.
• Insulin that was diluted or taken out of the original vial should be thrown away after 2 weeks.
• Only switch to a different insulin with a doctor's guidance. If you can't reach one, check your blood sugar often and see a doctor as soon as you can.
• For other cold medicines, read the label or ask a pharmacist whether they are still safe after an outage.

Devices that need power

• Ask your doctor how to keep your equipment running in an outage, and make a written plan.
• Keep spare batteries for battery-powered devices (power wheelchairs, pumps, monitors). Keep them charged.
• Tell your power company that someone in your home depends on powered medical equipment, and ask to be put on its priority restoration list. Still keep a backup plan: power may be out for days.
• A generator can help, but only outdoors (see the generator safety guide).
• Ask local officials where you can charge or run equipment during a long outage.
• Local emergency managers use the federal HHS emPOWER program, which maps Medicare users of power-dependent equipment, to plan help in an outage. It does not replace your own plan.

Oxygen

• Keep a backup supply of oxygen.
• Keep oxygen tanks at least 5 feet (1.5 metres) from heat sources, open flames and electrical devices, including fireplaces and heaters.
• Never use a candle, match, lighter or any open flame near medical oxygen. No smoking anywhere near it.
• In an outage, use flashlights, not candles.

Dialysis

1. Make sure your dialysis centre has your current phone number and address.
2. Keep the phone numbers of your centre, a second centre nearby, and your doctor.
3. Pack your medicine list and at least a 3-day supply of each medicine.
4. Learn the 3-day emergency diet from your centre or dietitian now. Following it could save your life if you miss treatment.
5. Ask your water and power companies about priority service for dialysis patients.
6. If you do home dialysis, ask your team about manual exchanges or backup power in an outage.
7. At a shelter, tell the person in charge that you need dialysis.

Help lines for dialysis patients: Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) 1-866-901-3773; National Kidney Foundation 1-855-653-2273.

If you have to evacuate or go to a shelter

• Take your medicines, list, devices, chargers and batteries with you.
• Tell shelter staff about your medical needs as soon as you arrive.
• Plan how you will bring wheelchairs and other aids.
• If you run out of a medicine, ask a pharmacy, shelter medical staff or your doctor.

Common mistakes

• No written list, so no one knows your medicines or doses.
• Letting insulin freeze on ice.
• Waiting until the power is out to charge spare batteries.
• Using candles near oxygen.
• Skipping the dialysis emergency diet because you expect to get treatment soon.

Sources: Ready.gov: People with Disabilities; FDA: Insulin Storage and Switching Between Products in an Emergency; CDC: What to Do When You Need Dialysis During an Emergency; US Fire Administration: Oxygen Tank Safety; HHS emPOWER Program

Pets and Service Animals

If you evacuate, take your pets. Bring them inside early, and know ahead of time where they can stay.

Do this now

• Bring pets indoors at the first sign or warning of a storm, fire or other danger.
• Put a collar and ID tag on each pet. Have a leash or carrier ready by the door.
• Grab the pet kit: food, water, medicine, records and a photo of you with your pet.
• If officials tell you to evacuate, take your pets with you.
• Call ahead to find a place that will take them (friends, family, a pet-friendly hotel, a boarding kennel).

Before: get ready

ID that can't fall off

• Collar and ID tag with the pet's name, your phone number and any urgent medical needs.
• Microchip. Ask your vet. Register the chip and keep your address and phone number up to date with the chip company. Add an emergency contact who lives outside your area.
• Write your pet's name and your contact details on the carrier.

Records and photos

Keep copies in a waterproof bag and on your phone or a USB stick:

• Vaccination records (including rabies), medical history and prescriptions.
• Registration or adoption papers.
• A recent photo of each pet, and a photo of you with your pet. It proves the pet is yours and helps people find them if you are separated.
• Your vet's name and phone number.

Plan where they will stay

Many public shelters and hotels don't allow pets (service animals are different, see below). Decide now:

• Friends or relatives outside your area who can take your pets.
• Pet-friendly hotels outside your area.
• A boarding kennel or animal hospital your vet recommends.
• Ask your local emergency management office or animal shelter what is available.

Set up a buddy system with a neighbour who can grab your pets if you are not home when danger comes, and do the same for them.

A rescue alert sticker on or near your front door tells rescuers how many pets are inside. If you evacuate with them, write "EVACUATED" across it.

Get pets used to the carrier

Leave the carrier out and open. Put treats and a familiar blanket inside. Learn where your pets hide when they're scared, so you can find them fast.

Pet kit checklist

Pack a big kit for staying home and a light one you can carry.

• Food for 7 to 10 days in an airtight, waterproof container (rotate every 2 months)
• Water for at least 7 days, plus bowls
• A 2-week supply of any medicine, in a waterproof container
• Pet first aid kit (ask your vet what to include)
• Sturdy carrier or crate, one per pet
• Spare collar, ID tag, leash or harness
• Litter and litter tray (a foil roasting pan works), or bags for dog waste
• Paper towels, trash bags and household chlorine bleach for cleaning
• Copies of records and photos (above)
• Bedding, toys and treats to reduce stress

Check both kits regularly, especially food and medicine dates.

When you have to leave

• If it isn't safe for you, it isn't safe for your pets. Don't leave them behind. Pets left at home can be lost or hurt.
• Leave early. Pets get scared and can run off in a crisis.
• Keep pets on a leash or in a carrier the whole time.
• Plan as if you may not be allowed home for several weeks.
• Birds and small animals travel in secure carriers with bedding, food and bowls.

Service animals

• Service animals are always welcome in emergency shelters.
• Pack the same kit for a service animal: food, water, a collar with ID, and medical records.
• Many shelters don't take pets. Check ahead.

After the disaster

• Keep pets close. Use a leash or carrier outdoors. Familiar smells and landmarks may be gone, and pets can get lost easily.
• Before pets go back into your home or yard, look for sharp objects, broken glass, spilled chemicals, exposed wiring and downed power lines.
• Watch for snakes and other wild animals, especially after floods.
• Wash your hands after touching your pet, its food or its waste. Don't let pets lick your face.
• Call your vet if your pet seems hurt or sick.
• If your pet is lost, contact local animal shelters and animal control, and use your photos to make "lost" posters.

Horses and livestock

• Give every animal some form of ID.
• Evacuate early. Plan two routes in advance.
• Arrange trailers and vehicles for each type of animal, and experienced handlers and drivers.
• Get horses used to wearing a halter and loading into a trailer before you need it.
• Make sure the place you are going has food, water, vet care and handling equipment.
• If you can't move them, you must decide whether to keep them in a barn or turn them loose outside. Make that choice ahead of time, based on the danger in your area.

Common mistakes

• Waiting until the last minute, when pets have hidden or run off.
• Assuming the public shelter will take your pet.
• An out-of-date phone number on the microchip or tag.
• Leaving pets "just for a day". You may not be allowed back for weeks.

Sources: Ready.gov: Prepare Your Pets for Disasters; ASPCA: Disaster Preparedness; CDC: Pet Safety in Emergencies; FEMA: Can I bring my pets to the shelter?

Active Shooter or Attack: Run, Hide, Fight

Run if there is a way out, hide if there isn't, and fight only as a last resort. Call 911 when it is safe to.

Do this now

• Run if there is a safe way out. Leave your belongings. Keep going.
• If you can't get out, hide out of the attacker's view. Lock and block the door.
• Silence your phone, including vibration. Turn off lights. Stay quiet.
• Call or text 911 (or your local emergency number) when you safely can.
• Fight only as a last resort, if your life is in immediate danger.
• When police arrive, keep your hands up, open and empty.

These are options, not a fixed order. Pick the one that fits where you are and where the attacker is. You might hide first and run later when it is safer.

Before

• Stay alert. Notice what is around you, wherever you are.
• Know two ways out. At work, school, a store or an event, look for the exits and places you could hide.
• Report concerns. Tell local police about threats, threatening messages (in person or online), and bags left behind. "If you see something, say something."
• Know the warning signs in people around you: violent talk, anger, or saying they want to hurt others.
• Learn to stop bleeding. Take a first aid or Stop the Bleed class. Help may take time to reach the wounded.
• Talk with your family about where to meet and how to reach each other if you are split up. See the family plan guide.

During

Run

Getting away is the top priority.

1. Find where the danger is coming from.
2. Pick a way out: a door, stairs, a window.
3. Leave your bags and belongings behind.
4. Help others get out if you can.
5. Keep your hands visible and empty as you leave.
6. Keep running. Get far away. Warn others not to go in.
7. Once safe, call 911. Tell them where the attacker is, how many there are, what they look like, and what weapons they have.

Hide

If you can't get out safely:

• Get out of the attacker's view. Put something solid between you and them, like a wall or heavy furniture.
• Lock the door and block it with heavy things.
• Turn off the lights and close the blinds.
• Silence your phone and stay quiet. If you can't talk, text 911 if your area accepts texts.
• Stay alert and keep thinking about your options. Stay hidden until police tell you it is safe.

Fight

Only as a last resort, when your life is in immediate danger:

• Commit to decisive, aggressive action. Fight until the threat is stopped.
• Use whatever is nearby to throw or strike with, like a chair or a fire extinguisher.
• Work with others if you can. Act together.

When police arrive

The officers' goal is to stop the threat. They may not know at first who is the attacker and who is not.

• Stay calm. Do what they tell you.
• Put down anything in your hands, like bags or your phone.
• Keep your hands up, open and visible at all times.
• Don't point, scream or yell.
• Don't run toward officers or grab onto them.
• Leave in the direction they tell you. Go to the area they send you to, and give them any information you have.

After

• Look after yourself first, then help others if you can. Move the wounded to safety if it is safe to do so.
• Stop bleeding. Press hard on the wound with a cloth or your hands and keep pressing. See the bleeding control guide.
• Call 911 for anyone hurt, once it is safe.
• Tell your family you are safe when you can. Texts often get through when calls don't.
• Look after your mind. Shock, fear and trouble sleeping are normal after an attack. Talk to someone, and get professional help for you and your children if it doesn't ease. See the coping guide.

Common mistakes

• Going back for belongings. Your bag and phone are not worth your life.
• Waiting to see if it's real. If you hear what could be shots, act first and find out later.
• Hiding in plain view. Get behind something solid, out of sight.
• Leaving your phone on. One ring or buzz can give you away.
• Running toward police or holding onto them. Officers may not know you are not the attacker.
• Leaving your hiding place too soon. Wait for police to say it is safe.

Sources: Ready.gov: Attacks in Public Places; CISA: Active Shooter Response Options to Consider; CISA: Active Shooter Preparedness; Stop the Bleed

Carbon Monoxide

You can't see or smell it. If a CO alarm sounds, get everyone outside and call 911. Never burn fuel indoors.

Do this now

If the CO alarm sounds, or several people (or pets) feel sick at once:

• Get everyone outside into fresh air right away. Don't stop to look for the source.
• Call 911 (or your local emergency number) or the fire department from outside.
• Count heads to make sure everyone, including pets, is out.
• Don't go back in until emergency responders say it's safe.

What carbon monoxide is

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas made whenever fuel burns: in cars, generators, grills, camp stoves, furnaces, gas ranges, fireplaces and heaters. It has no colour, smell or taste. When it builds up indoors, it can poison people and animals in minutes.

More than 200 people in the US die each year from CO made by household products other than cars. In 2020, portable generators were linked to 92 of these deaths.

Signs of CO poisoning

• Headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, confusion.
• It often feels like the flu without a fever.
• Be suspicious when more than one person, or a pet too, feels sick at the same time.
• High levels cause fainting and death. People who are asleep or have been drinking can die before they notice any symptoms.

CO alarms

• Put battery-powered or battery-backup CO alarms on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas.
• Test them monthly, and replace the batteries every year.
• Replace the alarm itself when the maker says, or every 5 years. Set a reminder when you install it.

• Don't put alarms near heating vents, or where furniture or curtains could cover them. Don't put them in kitchens or right above fuel-burning appliances.
• Basements and attics need one only if someone sleeps there.
• The test button only checks the alarm's circuits, not its sensor. Follow the maker's instructions.
• Never ignore an alarm.

Prevent it

Never indoors

• Never run a generator inside your home, basement or garage, even with the doors and windows open. Keep it outdoors, more than 20 feet (6 m) from windows, doors and vents. See the generator-safety guide.
• Never burn charcoal indoors. Don't use grills, hibachis, camp stoves, lanterns or flameless chemical heaters inside a home, garage, tent or camper. See the cooking-without-power guide.
• Never heat your home with a gas stove or oven. See the staying-warm guide.
• Never run a car or truck in an attached garage, even with the door open.
• Don't run unvented fuel-burning heaters in a room where people are sleeping.

Every year

• Have your furnace, water heater and other gas, oil or coal appliances serviced by a qualified technician.
• Have your chimney checked or cleaned.
• Have a mechanic check your car's exhaust system.

In storms and outages

• During outages and winter storms, keep generators, grills and camp stoves outside, however cold it is.
• Keep vents and flues clear of snow and debris.
• If you're stranded in a car in snow, keep the exhaust pipe clear. See the car-emergency guide.

After a CO alarm or poisoning

• Stay out until responders say it's safe.
• Don't use the appliance that caused it again until a qualified technician has checked it.
• Anyone who felt sick should get medical care. Tell them you think it was carbon monoxide.

Common mistakes

• Pressing the hush button and going back to bed.
• Opening windows and staying inside instead of getting out.
• Running a generator in the garage "with the door open".
• Warming up the car in an attached garage.
• Heating the house with the oven during an outage.
• Having no CO alarm, or one with a dead battery.

Sources: CDC: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics; CPSC: Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet; CPSC: CO Alarms; Ready.gov: Power Outages

Chemical Release: Shelter in Place or Evacuate

If told to shelter in place, get inside, shut doors, windows and vents, turn off the air, and seal one room until officials give the all clear.

Do this now

• Follow what officials say: shelter in place or evacuate. Check radio, TV, phone alerts or a news app.
• Sheltering: get everyone and your pets inside. Close and lock all windows and doors.
• Turn off fans, air conditioning and the furnace. Close the fireplace damper.
• Take your go kit, medicines and phone charger into one room. Shut the door.
• Seal the room: tape plastic over windows and vents, tape around the door, or stuff towels in the gaps.
• If you were exposed: take off your clothes and shower, ideally within 10 minutes.
• Call 911 (or your local emergency number) for trouble breathing or other serious symptoms.

Before

Pick and prepare a safe room now, so you can seal it in minutes.

• Choose the room. CDC suggests a large room with a water source, on the highest floor you can. Ready.gov adds: an interior room with few windows.
• Make a sealing kit: duct tape, scissors, towels and plastic sheeting. Pre-cut 2-4 mil plastic sheets a few inches larger than each window and vent. Label each piece with the window it fits.
• Make go kits. CDC suggests two for each person (one at home, one in the car) and two for each pet. Add large and small trash bags and several pairs of disposable gloves. See the emergency kit guide.
• Practise sealing window air conditioners, bathroom and kitchen fans, and stove and dryer vents.
• Plan who you will tell. Pick someone outside your area to text where you are. See the communication guide.

When told to shelter in place

1. Bring people and pets inside. Close and lock all outside doors and windows.
2. Turn off fans, air conditioning and forced-air heating. Or set the system to 100 percent recirculation. Close vents, fireplace dampers and as many inside doors as you can.
3. Take your go kit, medicines and phone with charger into your safe room. Shut the door.
4. Tape plastic over the windows. Tape the corners first, then the edges.
5. Close and tape over vents. Tape around the door.
6. No plastic? Push towels, sheets or clothing into vents and under the door. Wet towels work well.
7. If you smell fumes inside, breathe through a cloth or towel.
8. Don't eat or drink anything that might be contaminated.
9. Keep the radio or news on. Text someone outside the area to say where you are and that you are safe.

You may need to stay put for a few hours, possibly a few days. Leave only when police, fire or other officials give the all clear. Then follow their instructions when you go outside.

When told to evacuate

• Go right away. If you need a public shelter, text SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362.
• Leave without passing through the contaminated area if you can.
• If you can't reach clean air without crossing the danger, get as far away as you can inside and shelter in place.
• Outside? Move far away, upwind of the source if possible.
• In a car? Keep the windows and vents closed and turn off the air conditioner and heater. Cars are not airtight enough to shelter in, so head for the shelter officials name.
• Inside a building where the leak is, and not exposed? Stay inside and wait for instructions. If you were exposed, go outside for fresh air and move far away.
• Return home only when officials say it is safe.

If you were exposed

Signs include trouble breathing, stinging eyes, burning nose, throat or chest, nausea, or clumsiness. Some toxic chemicals have no smell. Many dead birds or insects can be a warning sign.

You don't need to know which chemical it was. Get it off you fast.

1. Get away from the area, to fresh air.
2. Take off all clothing and anything touching your skin. Cut off clothes you would pull over your head.
3. Seal the clothes in a plastic bag.
4. Take out contact lenses and remove glasses.
5. Shower with soap and water, ideally within the first 10 minutes. Wash your face and hair gently and rinse well.
6. Can't shower? Wipe off as much of the chemical as you can.
7. Rinse your eyes with water.
8. If you helped someone else, wash your hands and any skin that touched them.

Then get checked by a doctor, even if you feel fine. Go to the nearest hospital if you have symptoms or can't get the chemical off.

After

• Wait for the official all clear before you open up or go outside.
• Follow officials' instructions on cleaning up and on anything that may be contaminated.
• Get checked by a doctor if you breathed in the chemical or got it on your skin.
• Pets that were outside may need a vet check.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the air system on. Fans and AC pull outside air straight in.
• Sheltering in the basement. CDC says choose a room on the highest floor you can.
• Driving through the cloud to get home or pick someone up. Follow official routes.
• Pulling a dirty shirt over your head. Cut it off.
• Opening up too soon. Wait for officials to say it is safe.

Sources: Ready.gov: Chemical Emergencies; Ready.gov: Shelter; CDC: Shelter in Place for a Chemical Emergency; CDC: What to Do in a Chemical Emergency

Cyber Attacks and Disaster Scams

Use long, unique passwords and multifactor sign-in, keep devices updated, and never pay anyone who contacts you out of the blue.

Do this now

• Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA) for your email, bank and phone accounts.
• Use a password manager. Give every account its own password of at least 16 characters.
• Turn on automatic updates for your phone, computer and apps.
• Back up your photos and important files.
• Don't click links or call numbers in surprise messages. Contact the company using a number you already know.
• Hacked or scammed? Change your passwords and call your bank today.

Before: lock down your accounts

Passwords. CISA's advice:

• Make each one at least 16 characters. Longer is stronger.
• Use a random mix of letters, numbers and symbols, or a passphrase of 4 to 7 unrelated words.
• Use a different password for every account. One stolen password should not open the rest.
• Let a password manager create and store them. Then you only need to remember one strong master passphrase. Don't keep passwords in a file or on a sticky note.

Multifactor authentication (MFA) adds a second check when you sign in, like a code or your fingerprint.

• Turn it on for every account that offers it. Start with email: whoever controls your email can reset your bank and shopping passwords.
• Then do banks, health care and social media.
• Codes by text or email are better than nothing. An authenticator app (a new code every 30 seconds) is stronger. CISA calls phishing-resistant security keys the strongest.

Devices and data.

• Keep your phone, computer and apps updated. Turn on automatic updates.
• Use security software and a firewall.
• Use a secure, password-protected home Wi-Fi.
• Back up important files with encryption, in a second place.
• Share less about yourself online. Check your privacy settings and turn off location sharing you don't need.
• Look over your bank statements and credit reports regularly.

Plan for systems being down. Hospitals, pharmacies, banks and stores can be knocked offline by an attack, sometimes for days.

• Keep some cash at home.
• Keep a paper list of medicines and doses, doctors and important phone numbers.
• Keep a few days of supplies. See the emergency kit guide.

During: spot the scam

Scammers push you to act fast, before you think. Watch for:

• Urgent messages: "your account is locked," "pay now or your power is cut off."
• Offers that seem too good to be true.
• Requests for passwords, codes, account numbers or your Social Security number.
• Someone who calls to "fix" your computer. A real company will not call you and ask to control your computer.
• Government agencies won't call, text or message you on social media about money you owe.

"When in doubt, do NOT click." Look up the company yourself and call that number.

Scams that follow disasters

After storms, floods and fires, scammers target people who are stressed and need help fast.

• FEMA does not charge application fees. Anyone asking for money to help you get FEMA aid is a scammer. To check, call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 (1-800-621-FEMA).
• Be wary of contractors who show up offering quick repairs, want cash up front, or won't show a license, proof of insurance or a written contract.
• Walk away from "sign today for a discount" pressure.
• Get written estimates from several contractors. Check their license with your state or county.
• Never sign your insurance check over to a contractor.
• Pay by credit card or check. Avoid wire transfers, gift cards, payment apps, crypto and cash: that money is hard to get back.
• Don't make the final payment until the work is done and you're happy with it. Keep every receipt.

After: if you're hacked or scammed

If an account is hacked:

1. Change the password right away, starting with email. Change it on any other account that used the same password.
2. Turn on MFA.
3. Locked out? Use the company's own account recovery steps.
4. Tell your employer or school if a work or school device or account is involved.

If a device is infected:

1. Disconnect it from the internet.
2. Update your security software and run a full scan. Remove anything it finds.
3. Change your passwords from a clean device.
4. Get help from the maker or a trusted tech professional if needed.

If you paid a scammer, act fast:

• Bank transfer or debit card: call your bank now and ask them to reverse it.
• Credit card: call the number on the back of the card.
• Payment app or wire service: report it in the app or to the company and ask for a reversal or refund.
• Gift card: call the number on the card. Keep the card and receipt.

If someone has your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan.

Where to report

• ReportFraud.ftc.gov: any scam.
• IdentityTheft.gov: identity theft.
• ic3.gov (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center): online crime and fraud.
• Your local police: for an official record.
• Your bank and card companies: to freeze or close accounts.

Common mistakes

• Using one password everywhere. One leak opens every account.
• Skipping MFA on email. Email is the key to everything else.
• Putting off updates. Updates fix holes attackers use.
• Calling the number in the message. Use one you know is real.
• Paying a "FEMA agent" to apply. FEMA never charges a fee.
• Being too embarrassed to report. Report fast: it's your best chance to get money back.

Sources: Ready.gov: Cybersecurity; CISA: Use Strong Passwords; CISA: Turn On MFA; FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed; FTC: How To Avoid Scams After Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters

Disease Outbreak and Pandemic

Wash hands for 20 seconds, keep vaccines up to date, stay home when sick, and follow the CDC and your local health department.

Do this now

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. No soap? Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Stay home if you're sick, except to get medical care.
• Wear a mask in public when your health department advises it.
• Clean and disinfect things people touch often: door handles, taps, phones, remotes.
• Check the CDC and your local health department for what's spreading and what to do.
• Call your doctor if you've been exposed or feel ill, and follow their advice.

Before an outbreak

Vaccines

• Stay up to date with recommended vaccines for everyone in your household. Ask your doctor or pharmacist what's recommended for each person.
• Check your state and local health department for updates on new vaccines and testing.

Supplies

Gather what you'd need to stay home for several days or weeks. Buy a little at a time, so others can get what they need too.

• Shelf-stable food and bottled water. See the emergency-kit guide.
• Prescription medicines. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how to keep extra on hand.
• Soap, hand sanitizer (60% alcohol or more), tissues and cleaning products.
• Masks that fit well.
• A thermometer, and fever and pain medicine for adults and children, used as the label says.
• Phone numbers for your doctor, pharmacy and health department.

Plan

• Decide who would care for children, older relatives or pets if you got sick. See the children-older-adults guide.
• Plan how you'd work or study from home, and how you'd get groceries and medicine delivered.

During an outbreak

Protect yourself and others

1. Wash your hands often, especially after being in public, after coughing or sneezing, and before eating.
2. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow, then wash your hands.
3. Stay home when you're sick, except to get medical care.
4. Wear a mask when health officials advise it, especially in crowded indoor places.
5. Keep your distance when asked: health officials have advised 6 feet (2 m) from people outside your household in some outbreaks.
6. Clean and disinfect high-touch objects and surfaces.
7. Get cleaner air indoors: open windows when you can, or use an air purifier.
8. If you have risk factors for severe illness (ask your doctor if you're not sure), get care promptly when you get sick. Treatment may lower your risk.

Reliable information

• Follow the CDC and your state and local health department. They know what's spreading in your area and what to do.
• Be wary of rumours and miracle cures shared online. Check them against official sources before you act.

Caring for a sick person at home

1. Keep the sick person at home and resting, and away from well people in the house as much as you can.
2. Keep face-to-face contact short. If you hold a sick child, rest their chin on your shoulder so they don't cough in your face.
3. Ask the sick person to wear a mask when near others if they can, and wear one yourself when you're face to face.
4. Wash your hands after touching the sick person or their tissues or laundry.
5. Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects they touch.
6. Bring in fresh air: open a window, use an air purifier, or spend time outdoors.
7. Watch for emergency warning signs (below).

After

• Keep washing hands and staying home when sick.
• Restock supplies you used.
• Catch up on any vaccines that were missed.
• Long periods at home and worry about illness are hard. See the coping guide.

Common mistakes

• Going to work or school sick.
• Washing hands too quickly. Scrub for at least 20 seconds.
• Buying huge amounts at once, which leaves others short.
• Trusting rumours over the CDC and your health department.
• Waiting too long to get care when breathing gets hard.

Sources: Ready.gov: Pandemics; CDC: Preventing Respiratory Illnesses; CDC: Caring for Someone Sick

Earthquake: Drop, Cover, Hold On

When the shaking starts, Drop, Cover and Hold On where you are. Don't run outside or stand in a doorway.

Do this now

• Drop onto your hands and knees.
• Cover your head and neck with one arm. Crawl under a sturdy table or desk if one is close.
• Hold On until the shaking stops.
• Stay where you are. Don't run outside or to another room.
• After the shaking: check for injuries, gas leaks and damage. Expect aftershocks.
• Near the coast? As soon as you can stand, walk to high ground or inland.

Before

Secure your home. Falling and flying objects cause many injuries.

• Anchor tall, heavy furniture to the wall: bookcases, dressers, the refrigerator, the TV.
• Strap the water heater to the wall.
• Secure things hung on walls, like mirrors and pictures.
• Move heavy and breakable things to low shelves. This takes only minutes.

Get ready.

• Sign up for earthquake alerts on your phone if your area has them, so you may get a warning before the shaking reaches you.
• Practise Drop, Cover and Hold On with your family. Pick a safe spot in each room: under a sturdy table, or against an inside wall away from windows.
• Make a family plan with an out-of-state contact. See the family plan guide.
• Keep several days of food and water. See the emergency kit guide.
• Keep sturdy shoes and a flashlight by your bed.
• Learn where your main gas valve, water valve and electrical breaker are.
• Check your insurance. A standard homeowner's policy does not cover earthquake damage.

During

Indoors: Drop, Cover and Hold On.

1. Drop where you are onto your hands and knees, before the shaking knocks you down.
2. Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand. Crawl under a sturdy table or desk if one is nearby. If not, crawl next to an inside wall, away from windows.
3. Hold on until the shaking stops.

Don't wait to see how strong it gets. Act at the first jolt.

In bed: Stay there. Turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow.

In a wheelchair: Lock, Cover, Hold On. Lock your wheels. Bend over and cover your head and neck with your arms, a book or a pillow. Hold on until the shaking stops.

With a walker: Carefully get as low as you can. Bend over, cover your head and neck, and hold on.

If you can't get down or back up: Sit in a chair or on a bed. Bend forward, cover your head with your arms and hold your neck with both hands. Keep your cane nearby.

In a tall building: Drop, Cover and Hold On, away from windows. Don't use the elevator. The sprinklers or fire alarm may go off.

In a theatre or stadium: Drop in front of your seat or lean over as far as you can. Cover your head and neck.

Outdoors: Move to an open space if you can do it safely, away from buildings, trees, streetlights, signs and power lines. Then Drop, Cover and Hold On.

Driving: Pull over, stop and set the parking brake. Avoid bridges, overpasses and power lines. Stay in the car until the shaking stops. If a power line falls on the car, stay inside until a trained person removes it.

After

1. Expect aftershocks. Drop, Cover and Hold On each time. Stay away from things that may fall, like brick chimneys and walls.
2. Check yourself and others for injuries. See the first aid guide.
3. Put on sturdy shoes and work gloves before you walk around, to protect against broken glass and debris.
4. Smell or hear gas, or see the meter spinning fast? Get everyone out. Turn off the main gas valve if you can do it safely. Only the gas company should turn it back on. Don't use matches, lighters or candles. Use flashlights.
5. Damaged wiring? Shut off power at the main breaker.
6. Small fire? If you're trained and have an extinguisher, put it out. Call 911 (or your local emergency number). A large fire means get out.
7. Damaged building? Leave and don't go back in. If your home is undamaged, it can be safe to stay, even without power.

If you're trapped: Cover your mouth with your shirt. Text for help, bang on a pipe or wall, or blow a whistle instead of shouting. See the signaling guide.

On the coast: Strong or long shaking can mean a tsunami is coming within minutes. Don't wait for an official warning.

• As soon as you can stand, walk quickly to high ground or inland. Don't drive.
• If you can't get away, go to the third floor or higher of a sturdy building.
• Stay away from the coast until officials say it is safe. The danger can last for days. See the tsunami guide.

Cleaning up: Wear protective clothing. Don't lift heavy debris alone. Keep children out of cleanup work. Stay out of flood water: it can carry chemicals, sewage and debris.

Common mistakes

• Running outside during the shaking. Outside walls, windows and falling glass are the most dangerous places. Stay where you are.
• Standing in a doorway. It doesn't protect you.
• The "triangle of life." Lying next to furniture or a car instead of under cover is dangerous. A car can move and crush you.
• Getting out of bed in the dark and walking on broken glass.
• Waiting to see how bad it gets before you drop.
• Turning the gas back on yourself. Leave that to the gas company.

Sources: Ready.gov: Earthquakes; Earthquake Country Alliance: Drop, Cover, and Hold On; Earthquake Country Alliance: Step 5, Protect Yourself; Earthquake Country Alliance: Step 6, Improve Safety

Extreme Heat

Stay in air conditioning during a heat warning, drink plenty of water, check on others, and never leave anyone in a parked car.

Do this now

• Get somewhere with air conditioning. No AC at home? Go to a cooling centre, library or mall.
• Drink plenty of water. Don't wait until you're thirsty.
• Never leave a child, an adult or a pet in a parked car, not even for a minute.
• Check on older neighbours and anyone who lives alone.
• Skip hard work and exercise outside in the hottest part of the day.
• Know the signs of heat stroke. It is an emergency: call 911 (or your local emergency number).

Know the alerts

The National Weather Service (NWS) issues these:

The heat index is how hot it feels when humidity is added to the air temperature. For example, 96 °F (36 °C) at 65% humidity feels like 121 °F (49 °C). Full sun can add up to 15 °F (about 8 °C) to the heat index.

Who is most at risk

• People 65 and older
• Babies and young children
• Pregnant women
• People with heart disease or asthma (especially children with asthma)
• People who work or exercise outdoors
• People who live alone or have long-term health problems

Medicines. Many medicines make it easier to overheat or dry out, and some must be kept out of hot places. Don't stop or change a medicine without asking your doctor.

Before

• Find your nearest cooling centre now. Ask your local health department, or look for libraries and malls.
• Can't afford cooling? Contact LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) for help with bills.
• Cover windows to keep the sun out. Weather-strip doors and windows.
• Plan for a power outage: how will you keep cool, keep fridge medicines cold, and run medical devices? See the power outage and medical needs guides.
• Plan who will check on whom. Older relatives and neighbours living alone need someone to call or visit.

During

Stay cool.

• Stay in air conditioning as much as you can, especially in the hottest hours.
• Take cool showers or baths.
• Wear loose, light-coloured clothing. Find shade outside.
• Use the oven and stove less.

Drink.

• Drink plenty of fluids, even before you feel thirsty. Carry a water bottle and refill it.
• Go easy on drinks high in sugar, caffeine or alcohol.
• Check your pee: light yellow or clear usually means you're drinking enough.

Pace yourself. Avoid hard activity and outdoor work around midday. If you must be outside, rest in the shade and drink water often.

Pets. Bring them in. Pavement can be hot enough to burn their paws. See the pets guide.

Cars heat up fast

• A closed car heats up within minutes. Dark dashboards and seats can reach 180 °F to over 200 °F (82 to 93 °C or more).
• Cracking the windows does not help much.
• Children have died in cars on days only in the 70s °F (21 to 26 °C). It happens in every season.
• Lock your car, even in the driveway, so children can't climb in and get trapped.

Signs of heat illness

See the heat illness guide for step-by-step care.

After

• Extreme heat usually means a stretch above 90 °F (32 °C) for at least two to three days. Keep checking on older adults and people living alone until it ends.
• Watch children, older people and outdoor workers for heat illness for the rest of the heat wave.
• Refill water bottles and restock for the next one.

Common mistakes

• "Just a minute" in the car. Never leave anyone in a parked car.
• Trusting a fan in a hot room. Above 90 °F (32 °C) indoors, get to air conditioning instead.
• Waiting until you're thirsty to drink.
• Not checking on neighbours. Older people living alone are among those most at risk.
• Working outside at midday. Do heavy jobs early in the morning or in the evening.
• Stopping your medicines because of the heat, without asking a doctor.

Sources: Ready.gov: Extreme Heat; CDC: About Heat and Your Health; National Weather Service: Heat Watch vs. Warning; National Weather Service: What is the heat index?; National Weather Service: Children, Pets and Vehicles

Flood

Turn around, don't drown. Six inches of moving water can knock you over and a foot can carry away most cars.

Do this now

• Flash Flood Warning? Get to higher ground right away. Don't wait to be told.
• Never walk, swim or drive through flood water. Turn around, don't drown.
• If officials tell you to evacuate, go now. See the evacuation guide.
• Trapped in a building? Go to the highest floor. Not a closed attic. Use the roof only if you must, and call 911 (or your local emergency number).
• Stay off bridges over fast-moving water.
• Keep a phone charged and listen for alerts.

How little water it takes

Over half of all flood drownings happen when someone drives into flood water. You can't tell how deep it is or whether the road under it has washed away.

Know the alerts

Flash floods can come fast, with little warning. When a Flash Flood Warning is issued, don't wait to see the water.

Before

• Know your risk. Find out if you live in a flood zone and how you'd get to higher ground.
• Get flood insurance early. Regular homeowner's insurance doesn't cover floods, and flood insurance usually takes up to 30 days to start.
• Plan your route to higher ground and where you'd stay. See the evacuation and family plan guides.
• Keep supplies for several days: water, food that won't spoil, medicines, cleaning supplies.
• Protect papers. Put important documents in a waterproof bag or container.
• Clear drains and gutters. Consider check valves on drains and a sump pump with battery backup.
• Move valuables and electrical items up off the floor or upstairs.

During

• Move to higher ground if water is rising or officials tell you to. Avoid low spots, underpasses and creek beds.
• Turn off the power at the main breaker if you can do it without standing in water.
• Stay out of the water. It can hide holes, debris and sharp objects, and it can be charged by downed or underground power lines.
• Rising water in your home: go to the highest floor. Don't climb into a closed attic, where rising water can trap you. Go onto the roof only if you must, then call 911 and signal for help.
• In a car: If your car is caught in fast-moving water, stay inside. If water rises inside the car, get out onto the roof and call 911.
• On foot: Don't try to cross moving water. Wait or find another way.

After

Going home

• Return only when officials say it is safe. Try to go in daylight.
• Don't go in if there's obvious damage, or water still around the building. Have it checked first.
• Avoid driving except in emergencies. Roads and bridges may be weakened.

Electricity and gas

• Don't touch wet electrical items, and don't flip switches or breakers while standing in water.
• If power lines are down or water got into the home, turn off the gas, power and water.
• Unplug appliances so you don't get a shock when the power returns.

Flood water is dirty Flood water can carry sewage, chemicals, trash, snakes and other animals. Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and eye protection. Wash your hands with soap and clean water often. Keep children out of cleanup work.

Cleaning

1. Open doors and windows first. Never use bleach in a closed space.
2. Clean and dry your home within 24 to 48 hours if you can, to stop mould. Use fans, dehumidifiers and air conditioning.
3. Wash hard surfaces with soap and water first.
4. Then disinfect with no more than 1 cup of household bleach in 1 gallon of water (about 4 litres).
5. Throw away what you can't clean and dry quickly: carpets, mattresses, stuffed furniture, pillows, books, paper, and drywall and insulation soaked by flood water.
6. Wear an N95 mask and goggles when cleaning mould. People with asthma or weak immune systems should stay away from mouldy buildings.
7. Photograph damage for insurance before you throw things out.

Food and water

• Throw away any food that touched flood water. Also throw away food that wasn't kept cold during a power outage. When in doubt, throw it out. See the food when the power's out guide.
• Don't drink tap or well water until officials say it is safe. Until then, use bottled water or make it safe. See the guide on making water safe to drink.

Common mistakes

• Driving into water. It's the most common way people die in floods.
• "It's only a few inches." Six inches of moving water can knock you over.
• Hiding in the attic. Go to the roof instead if you must, never a closed attic.
• Going home too soon, or walking through water around the house.
• Waiting more than 2 days to dry out. Mould grows fast.
• Mixing cleaners with bleach.

Sources: National Weather Service: Turn Around Don't Drown; National Weather Service: Flood Watch vs. Warning; Ready.gov: Floods; CDC: Guidelines for Cleaning Safely After a Disaster; CDC: Returning Home After a Natural Disaster

Home Fire: Get Out and Stay Out

A fire can become deadly in two minutes. Have working smoke alarms and two ways out of every room; if one sounds, get out, stay out, call 911.

Do this now

• Smoke alarm going off or you see fire? Get out now. Don't stop for belongings.
• Crawl low under smoke.
• Feel the door before you open it. Hot? Keep it closed and use your second way out.
• Close doors behind you as you leave.
• Meet at your outside meeting place. Call 911 (or your local emergency number) from outside.
• Stay out. Never go back in. Tell firefighters if anyone is missing.

Before

Smoke alarms

• Put one inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level, including the basement.
• Choose alarms that are interconnected, so when one sounds, they all sound.
• Test every alarm once a month. Press the test button.
• Replace 9-volt batteries at least once a year (or as the maker says). Hardwired alarms have a backup battery to replace too.
• Replace each alarm every 10 years.
• Never take out the battery or turn an alarm off because it goes off while you cook.

Escape plan

• Find two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window.
• Make sure windows open easily and screens come out fast. Security bars must have a quick release.
• Pick a meeting place outside, in front of the house, like a tree, a mailbox or a neighbour's driveway.
• Practise your plan twice a year, including in the dark or with your eyes closed.
• Teach children never to hide from firefighters.
• Plan help for babies, older adults and anyone who can't get out alone. See the children and older adults guide.

Close Before You Doze Sleep with bedroom doors closed. In a fire, a closed door can keep a room around 100 °F (38 °C) when the hallway outside is 1,000 °F (538 °C). It also keeps out much of the deadly smoke. You may have three minutes or less to escape.

Fire extinguisher Keep a multipurpose (A-B-C) extinguisher where you can reach it easily, such as near the kitchen.

During

1. Shout "Fire!" to wake everyone. Leave right away.
2. Get low and crawl. Smoke and toxic gases rise to the ceiling. The air near the floor is cleaner.
3. Feel the door and doorknob with the back of your hand before opening. Hot, or smoke coming in around it? Keep it closed and use your second way out. Cool? Open it slowly, ready to shut it fast if smoke or heat rushes in.
4. Close doors behind you to slow the fire.
5. Go to your meeting place. Count heads.
6. Call 911 from outside.
7. Don't go back inside for anyone or anything. Tell firefighters who is still inside and where.

If you can't get out

• Close the door between you and the fire.
• Stuff towels, sheets or tape into the gaps and vents.
• Call 911 and tell them exactly where you are.
• Signal from a window with a flashlight or a light-coloured cloth.

If your clothes catch fire: Stop, Drop and Roll

1. Stop where you are. Don't run.
2. Drop to the ground and cover your face with your hands.
3. Roll over and over until the flames are out.

If you can't drop and roll, smother the flames with a blanket or towel. Then cool the burn with cool water for 3 to 5 minutes and get medical help. See the burns guide.

Using a fire extinguisher

Use one only if all of these are true:

• Everyone else is alerted and getting out, and someone has called 911.
• The fire is small and in one thing, like a wastebasket or a pan.
• You're not in smoke, and you have a clear way out behind you.
• You're able to handle it. Young children and frail older adults shouldn't try.

If any answer is no, get out and call 911.

PASS:

1. Pull the pin. Point the nozzle away from you.
2. Aim low, at the base of the fire.
3. Squeeze the handle slowly and evenly.
4. Sweep from side to side.

If the fire grows or the extinguisher runs out, leave at once.

After

• Don't go back in until the fire department says it is safe.
• Don't turn the gas, power or water back on yourself.
• Make a list of damaged things before you throw anything away. Keep receipts for everything you spend because of the fire.
• Call your insurance company and, if you have one, your mortgage company.
• Need a place to stay, food or medicine? Contact the Red Cross or another disaster relief group.
• Burns or smoke breathed in? Get medical care. Fire can be very upsetting too: see the coping guide.

Common mistakes

• Going back in for pets, phones or papers.
• Hiding. Children may hide from fire or firefighters. Practise getting out instead.
• Taking batteries out of alarms or never testing them.
• Opening a hot door.
• Fighting a fire that's too big. If in doubt, get out.
• Calling 911 before you leave. Get out first, then call.
• Sleeping with doors open. Close before you doze.

Sources: Ready.gov: Home Fires; U.S. Fire Administration: Smoke Alarms; U.S. Fire Administration: Choosing and Using Fire Extinguishers; UL FSRI: Close Before You Doze

Hurricane

Know your evacuation zone and leave when officials say to. Storm surge, not wind, is the leading cause of hurricane deaths.

Do this now

• Find out if you are in an evacuation zone. Check your local emergency management website.
• If officials tell you to evacuate, go right away. See the evacuation guide.
• Staying? Pick a small inside room, closet or hallway, away from windows.
• Charge phones, fill the car's gas tank, and get cash, water, food and medicines for several days.
• Bring in outdoor furniture and anything the wind can throw.
• Never walk or drive through flood water.

Know the alerts

Why water is the biggest danger

• Storm surge is sea water pushed onto land by the storm. It is the leading cause of hurricane deaths in the US.
• Surge plus the normal tide can raise the water 20 feet (6 m) or more in some places. Waves add more.
• Surge can travel up rivers and canals, well inland from the coast.
• Heavy rain flooding is the second leading cause of deaths. It can hit hundreds of miles inland and last for days after the storm.
• Just 6 inches (15 cm) of fast-moving water can knock you down. One foot (30 cm) can sweep your car away.

Before

Hurricane season starts June 1 on the Atlantic coast. Get ready before then.

• Know your zone. Find out if you live in an evacuation zone. Learn your route out and where you'll stay: friends or family inland, a hotel, or a public shelter. Practise the route with your family and pets.
• Make a family plan. Decide how you'll reach each other and where you'll meet. See the family plan guide.
• Build a kit with water, food, medicines, a radio, flashlights and batteries for several days. See the emergency kit guide.
• Protect your home. Check your storm shutters, or cut plywood to fit your windows.
• Check your insurance. Regular policies may not cover flooding.
• If you rely on power for medical equipment, plan now. See the medical needs guide.

When it's coming

• Leave right away if officials order it. Leaving early is safer than driving in heavy traffic, rain and wind.

If you stay:

1. Go to a small interior room, closet or hallway on the lowest floor that is not likely to flood.
2. Put as many walls as you can between you and the outside.
3. Stay away from windows, skylights and glass doors.
4. Keep your radio or phone on for alerts.
5. If water rises inside, go to the highest level of the building. Don't climb into a closed attic, where rising water can trap you.
6. Extreme Wind Warning? Go to your safest inside room at once.

After

Stay safe outside

• Return home only when officials say it is safe.
• Don't walk, swim or drive through flood water. It can carry sewage, chemicals, debris and animals.
• Stay away from downed power lines. Downed or underground lines can make water live with electricity.
• Avoid flooded roads and washed-out bridges.

At home

• Don't go in if there's obvious damage or flood water around the building.
• Don't touch wet electrical equipment, or anything electrical while standing in water. If it's safe, turn off the power at the main breaker.
• Smell gas? Leave and call the gas company from outside.
• Wear boots, gloves and eye protection when cleaning up. See the flood guide for cleaning with bleach.

Generators and carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of death after storms when the power is out.

• Never use a generator, grill or camp stove inside your home, basement or garage.
• Keep generators at least 20 feet (6 m) from windows, doors and vents.
• Use a battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm.

Food and water

• Throw away any food that touched flood water, and food that wasn't kept cold during the outage. When in doubt, throw it out. See the food when the power's out guide.
• Use tap water only when officials say it is safe.

Common mistakes

• Waiting too long to leave. Roads flood and fill with traffic.
• Thinking "it's only a Category 1." Surge and flooding kill, whatever the wind speed.
• Going outside during the eye.
• Driving into flood water.
• Running a generator in the garage, even with the door open.
• Hiding in the attic from rising water. Go to the highest floor, or the roof if you must.

Sources: Ready.gov: Hurricanes; National Weather Service: Hurricane Watch vs. Warning; National Weather Service: During a Hurricane; National Hurricane Center: Storm Surge; CDC: Returning Home After a Natural Disaster

Landslides and Debris Flows

Heavy rain on steep or burned slopes can send mud and rock downhill with little warning. Leave early, and move uphill if caught.

Do this now

• If officials tell you to evacuate, go now. Don't wait to see the mud.
• If you hear rumbling, cracking trees or knocking boulders upslope, leave the area at once.
• If you are caught in the path, move uphill as fast as you can, out of the channel.
• Stay awake and dressed during heavy rain if you live below a steep or burned slope.
• Keep a battery radio or phone on for alerts.
• Never cross a road, creek or bridge with mud or water flowing over or toward it.

Know your risk

A landslide is ground sliding down a slope. A debris flow is a fast river of mud, rocks, trees and water (sometimes ash). Debris flows can overflow stream channels and reach flat ground well below the slope, with little warning.

You are at higher risk if you live:

• On or at the bottom of a steep slope, or in a canyon or at the mouth of one.
• Below land that burned in a wildfire. Burned soil sheds water and has no plants to hold it.
• Where slides have happened before. Huge boulders scattered on the land may mark old debris flows.

A missing landslide on a map does not mean there's no danger: much of the US hasn't been mapped.

After a wildfire

• Burned slopes need far less rain to slide. In southern California, as little as 0.3 inch (7 mm) of rain in 30 minutes has set off debris flows.
• Some of the largest flows happen in the first rainy season after the fire. The danger usually falls after the second rainy season, but flash flooding can go on for several years.
• If you live near a burn area, sign up for alerts and watch rain forecasts and flash flood warnings closely.

Warning signs

Fast-moving flows (leave now):

• Rushing water, mud, or unusual sounds like trees cracking or boulders knocking.
• A faint rumbling that grows louder.
• A creek that suddenly rises or drops, or turns from clear to muddy.

Slow-moving slides (get the land checked, and be ready to leave):

• Doors or windows that stick or jam for the first time.
• New cracks in plaster, tile, brick or foundations; widening cracks in the ground or pavement.
• Walls, walkways or stairs pulling away from the house; broken underground pipes.
• Fences, retaining walls, poles or trees tilting or moving.
• Ground bulging at the bottom of a slope, or water coming up in new places.

Before

• Sign up for your community's alerts. NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System also send warnings.
• Make a household plan that includes pets, and pack an emergency kit.
• Know two ways out that don't cross creeks or low ground.

• Keep gutter and driveway water from pouring onto a slope: it soaks the soil and weakens it. Check local rules before rerouting it.
• Keep native trees and plants on slopes. Don't dump yard waste or debris on a slope.
• Ask a geologist or engineer with landslide experience to look at your land. Ask about flexible pipe fittings, which break less easily.
• Walls or channels can steer small flows, but a big flow "goes where it pleases." Steering a flow onto a neighbour's land can make you liable.
• Ask your insurance agent. Debris flow may be covered by National Flood Insurance Program policies.

During

1. Listen to local news or a battery radio, and follow what emergency managers say.
2. Stay awake during storms that could cause a slide. Many landslide deaths happen while people are asleep.
3. Don't wait for proof. By the time you know a debris flow is coming, it may be too late to get away.
4. If you can, leave before the flow starts. Avoid river valleys and low ground.
5. If you're caught in the path, move uphill as quickly as you can.
6. Driving, watch for mud, fallen rocks and collapsed pavement. Never cross a road with water or mud flowing, and never cross a bridge if a flow is coming.

After

• Stay away from the slide area. More slides can follow.
• Expect flooding. Floods often follow landslides because the same rain causes both.
• Check for injured or trapped people near the slide without going into it. Call 911 (or your local emergency number) and point rescuers to them.
• Report broken utility lines and damaged roads and railways.
• Have professionals inspect the foundation, chimney and land around your home before you rely on it.
• Replant damaged ground soon: bare soil erodes and can lead to more slides.
• Talk to a geotechnical expert before you do any repair work on the slope.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for an evacuation order when you can hear or see the signs.
• Going to bed during a long, heavy storm below a burned slope.
• Driving through a muddy creek at a road crossing. Mud and water hide washed-out pavement.
• Going back too soon to check the house while the ground is still moving.
• Thinking flat ground is safe just because it's at the bottom of the hill. Flows run out well beyond the slope.

Sources: Ready.gov: Landslides and Debris Flow; USGS: Landslide Preparedness; USGS California Water Science Center: Wildfire Debris Flow

Power Outage

Keep the fridge and freezer closed, run generators only outside and 20 feet from the house, and have a plan for medical devices.

Do this now

• Keep the fridge and freezer doors closed.
• Unplug or switch off appliances and electronics.
• If anyone uses powered medical equipment or refrigerated medicine, start your backup plan now.
• Use flashlights, not candles.
• If you run a generator, put it outside, at least 20 feet (6 m) from windows, doors and vents.
• Stay away from fallen power lines. Report them to the utility and call 911 (or your local emergency number) if someone is hurt.

Before

• A flashlight for every person, with spare batteries.
• A battery or hand-crank radio, and charged power banks for phones.
• Nonperishable food and stored water (see the water guide).
• A thermometer for the fridge and freezer, so you know if food stayed cold.
• Carbon monoxide (CO) alarms with battery backup in central places on every level of your home.

• Learn how to open your garage door by hand.
• Medical needs: ask your doctor about a plan for electric medical devices and medicines that must stay cold. Find out how long each medicine can stay safe at warmer temperatures. See the medical-needs guide.

During

Food

• Keep the doors closed. A closed fridge keeps food cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half full).
• See the food-power-out guide for what to keep and what to throw away.

Electronics

• Unplug or switch off appliances and electronics. Power can come back with surges or spikes that cause damage.

Generators and carbon monoxide

• Use a generator only outdoors, at least 20 feet (6 m) from windows, doors, vents and attached garages. Use a heavy-duty extension cord long enough to reach.
• Never run a generator, pressure washer or any gas engine in the house, basement or garage, even with the doors or windows open.
• Keep the generator dry. Touching a wet generator or things plugged into it can shock you.
• Let it cool before you refuel. Never siphon gasoline.
• Camp stoves and charcoal grills go outside too, at least 20 feet from windows.
• Never idle a car in a garage.
• See the generator-safety and carbon-monoxide guides.

Heat and cold

• Hot weather: a body can reach 106 °F (41 °C) within 10 to 15 minutes in heat stroke. Go to a cooled shelter, mall or library, take cool showers, and don't rely only on fans.
• Cold weather: layer up and use extra blankets. Use fireplaces, wood stoves and space heaters with great care, following the maker's instructions. If someone's temperature is below 95 °F (35 °C), get medical help right away. See the staying-warm guide.
• If your home gets dangerously hot or cold, go to a community location that has power.

Light and fire

• Use battery flashlights and lanterns. If you must use candles, keep them away from anything that burns and never leave them lit alone.
• Keep a fire extinguisher handy.

Driving

• Treat a dark traffic signal as a four-way stop. Stop fully, look, and take turns one car at a time.
• Drive slower than the limit, keep extra space, and avoid driving at night or in bad weather if you can.
• Avoid driving near or over downed wires. Treat every wire as live.
• Don't drive through standing water if power lines are down in it.

Downed lines and reporting

• Never touch a fallen power line, or anything touching it.
• Report downed wires to the utility and local officials. Call 911 if someone may have had an electric shock.

After

• When in doubt, throw it out. Throw away food that has been at 40 °F (4 °C) or higher for 2 hours or more, or that smells, looks or feels odd.
• If the outage lasted more than a day, throw away medicine that needs refrigeration unless the label says otherwise, and get a new supply. If a life depends on a medicine that warmed up, keep using it only until you get a new supply.
• Use bottled, boiled or treated water if your health department says tap water isn't safe.

Common mistakes

• Opening the fridge to check on food. Every opening lets cold out.
• Running a generator in the garage with the door open. Open doors don't make it safe.
• Using the oven or a grill for heat.
• Driving through a dark intersection as if you had a green light.
• Using candles near curtains, children or pets, or leaving them burning.

Sources: Ready.gov: Power Outages; CDC: Protect Yourself During a Power Outage; FEMA: Tips for Driving Safely When There Is No Electricity

Radiation Emergency

Get inside, stay inside, stay tuned. Go to a basement or the middle of a brick or concrete building and stay at least 24 hours.

Do this now

• Get inside the nearest building right away. Bring pets and service animals in too.
• Go to the basement or the middle of the building, away from windows, outside walls and the roof.
• Close windows, doors and fireplace dampers. Turn off fans, air conditioning and forced-air heating that pull in outside air.
• If you were outside, take off your outer layer of clothing and seal it in a plastic bag.
• Wash with soap and water, or wipe your skin and hair with a wet cloth.
• Stay inside at least 24 hours unless officials tell you otherwise. Stay tuned to official alerts.

The three rules

Officials use three words for a radiation emergency: Get Inside, Stay Inside, Stay Tuned. The walls of a building block much of the radiation, and staying put keeps radioactive dust off you.

Before

• Sign up for local emergency alerts, and keep a battery or crank radio.
• Keep an emergency kit at home, including plastic trash bags for contaminated clothing, wet wipes and bottled water. See the emergency-kit guide.
• Know the most protective spot in your home, workplace and school: a basement, or the centre of a large building.

Get inside

• Go in immediately and put as many walls as you can between you and the outside.
• The best buildings have brick or concrete walls. Underground parking garages and subways also give good shelter.
• In the building, go to the basement or the middle, away from outer walls and the roof.
• After a nuclear explosion, you will have 10 minutes or more to find good shelter before fallout arrives. Use them.

Stay inside

• Stay in the most protective spot for at least 24 hours unless there is an immediate danger, such as fire, or officials say it's safe to leave. Radiation levels drop fast during the first day.
• Keep windows and doors shut and outside air off.
• Food and drink that were inside the building are safe. Wipe sealed cans and bottles that were outside with a damp cloth before opening.
• Don't eat garden food or uncovered food or drink that was outside until officials say it's safe.

Clean yourself (decontaminate)

Do this as soon as you get inside if you were outdoors when the dust arrived.

1. Take off your outer layer of clothing. This alone can remove up to 90% of the radioactive material. Do it gently so you don't shake dust loose and breathe it in. Don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
2. Put the clothes in a plastic bag or sealable container, and put it away from people and pets.
3. If you can shower: take a warm shower and wash gently with lots of soap. Don't scald, scrub or scratch your skin. Wash your hair with shampoo or soap. Do not use conditioner: it makes radioactive material stick to hair. Keep cuts covered.
4. If you can't shower: at a sink, wash your hands, face and any uncovered skin with soap and plenty of water. With no sink, use a moist wipe, a clean wet cloth or a damp paper towel. Pay special attention to hands and face.
5. Gently blow your nose, and wipe your eyelids, eyelashes and ears.
6. Bag used wipes and cloths. Put on clean clothes.

Don't use household cleaning wipes on skin. Hand sanitizer does not remove radioactive material.

Helping others and pets

• Wear waterproof gloves and a dust mask if you have them, and keep your own cuts covered.
• Bring pets inside. If a pet was outside, gently brush its coat, then wash it with shampoo or soap and water and rinse well.
• Afterwards, wash your own hands, face and exposed skin again.

Stay tuned

• Listen to radio, TV, phone alerts or official social media for instructions.
• Officials will say when it's safe to leave, where to go, and whether to evacuate. If you are told to evacuate, go, and don't return until they say it's safe.

Potassium iodide (KI)

• Take KI only if public health or emergency officials tell you to.
• KI protects only the thyroid, and only from radioactive iodine. It does not protect the rest of the body or from other kinds of radiation.
• KI has health risks of its own. Don't take it "just in case".

After

• Follow official instructions on when to come out, what's safe to eat and drink, and where to get checked.
• Keep contaminated clothing bagged and away from people and pets until officials say how to dispose of it.
• Expect to feel shaken. See the coping guide.

Common mistakes

• Sheltering near a window or on the top floor instead of the basement or middle.
• Leaving early before 24 hours because things look normal outside.
• Using conditioner or scrubbing hard when washing.
• Taking KI without being told to, or thinking it protects against all radiation.
• Shaking out contaminated clothes indoors.

Sources: Ready.gov: Radiation Emergencies; CDC: Frequently Asked Questions about Radiation Emergencies; CDC: How to Self-Decontaminate after a Radiation Emergency; CDC: Decontamination for Yourself and Others

Shortages and Supply Disruptions

A steady supply built a little at a time means you don't have to join the rush when shelves empty. Buy what you need, not what you fear.

Do this now

• Check what you already have at home: food, water, medicines, baby supplies, pet food, fuel.
• Buy what you need for the next week or two, not more. Leave some for others.
• If a medicine is hard to find, call other pharmacies and ask your pharmacist or doctor about an alternative before you run out.
• Get news on the shortage from official sources: your city or county, state agencies, and the store or pharmacy itself.
• Be suspicious of anyone selling scarce items at strange prices or asking for unusual payment.

Before a shortage: build up slowly

A small, steady supply is cheaper and calmer than a rush.

• Add one extra item each time you shop, something you already use, especially when it's on sale.
• Start with what you have: water, canned food, a flashlight, batteries, copies of documents.
• Look out for seasonal sales on emergency supplies. Thrift stores and garage sales can have camping gear, tools and cookware cheaply.
• Aim for at least 1 gallon (about 4 litres) of water per person per day and several days of food that needs no cooking, then grow it over time. See the food and water guides.
• Use the oldest first and replace what you use. Replace anything expired.
• Rethink what your family needs once a year.

What to keep a little extra of

• Food you normally eat, and baby formula and food
• Water
• Prescription medicines, as far as your insurance and pharmacist allow
• Over-the-counter medicines you use: pain relievers, antacids, anti-diarrhoea medicine
• Soap, hand sanitiser, toilet paper, nappies, feminine supplies
• Pet food and medicine
• Batteries and a phone power bank
• Cash, in case card machines or banks are down

Medicine shortages

1. Search the FDA drug shortage list on the FDA website to see whether the shortage is known.
2. Call other pharmacies. A missing medicine is often a short local supply problem.
3. Ask your pharmacist or doctor whether a different strength, form or medicine would work for you. Don't switch or stop a medicine on your own.
4. Ask for refills as early as your plan allows, so you're never down to your last few doses.
5. Report a shortage the FDA doesn't list through its online portal.
6. If someone you don't know offers you a short-supply medicine at a high price, don't buy it. Report it to the FDA.

Keep a written list of your medicines and doses. See the medical-needs guide for power-dependent devices and oxygen.

Fuel shortages

• Keep your car's tank from running low in normal times, so a shortage doesn't catch you empty.
• Combine errands into one trip. It saves fuel and avoids repeated cold starts.
• Carpool or share rides, and use buses or trains where you can.
• Work from home if your employer allows it, or travel outside rush hour.
• Drive gently and turn the engine off when parked.
• Don't line up for hours "just in case" if your tank is half full.

Food and household shortages

• Use substitutes: another brand, the store's own brand, frozen or canned instead of fresh, or a different food from the same group.
• Plan meals around what you already have.
• If a shop limits how many items you can buy, respect it. Limits help everyone get some.
• Babies: if formula is hard to find, ask the baby's doctor what is safe to use instead. Mix formula exactly as the label says, with the listed water and scoops, never extra water. Don't make homemade formula.

Scams around shortages

Scammers move in whenever things are scarce.

• Only scammers insist on payment by wire transfer, gift card, payment app, cryptocurrency or cash.
• Websites that pop up selling hard-to-find items may take your money and send nothing. Search the seller's name with words like "scam" or "review" first. Paying by credit card makes it easier to get your money back.
• Watch for fake charities copying real disaster charities' names.
• People pretending to be from the government may "offer help" in exchange for money or personal information. FEMA never charges a fee for disaster help.
• Report scams and price gouging at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to your state attorney general.

Common mistakes

• Panic-buying, which empties shelves faster for everyone, including you next week.
• Buying a huge stock of food your family won't eat.
• Waiting until the last pill to ask about a refill.
• Storing gasoline in the garage in open or unsuitable containers.
• Believing social media rumours about shortages. Check official sources.
• Paying a stranger with a gift card for something hard to get.

Sources: Ready.gov: Low and No Cost Preparedness; Ready.gov: Build a Kit; FDA: Frequently Asked Questions about Drug Shortages; FTC, DOJ and CFPB: Scams and Price Gouging After Disasters; FDA: Infant Formula Safety Do's and Don'ts

Thunderstorms and Lightning

When thunder roars, go indoors. Stay in a building or hard-topped car until 30 minutes after the last thunder.

Do this now

• When thunder roars, go indoors. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck.
• Get into a substantial building (with wiring and plumbing) or a hard-topped metal car with the windows up.
• Indoors, stay off corded phones and plugged-in electronics, and away from sinks, baths and taps.
• Stay away from windows and doors, and off porches.
• Stay inside until 30 minutes after the last thunder.
• If someone is struck, call 911 (or your local emergency number). They are safe to touch. Start CPR if they aren't breathing normally.

Before

• Check the forecast before you go out, and have a plan for where you'd shelter.
• Sign up for your community's warning system.
• Know the safe buildings close to where you live, work, study and play.
• Cut down or trim trees that could fall on your home.
• Consider surge protectors, or a lightning protection system for your home.

Watch or warning?

Any thunderstorm, severe or not, can produce deadly lightning.

During

Where's safe

• Safe: substantial buildings with wiring and plumbing, and hard-topped metal vehicles with the windows closed.
• Not safe: rain shelters, small sheds and open vehicles.
• There is no safe place outside when a thunderstorm is in the area.

Inside a building

• Stay off corded phones, computers and other equipment plugged into the wall. Cell phones and cordless phones are fine.
• Avoid plumbing: sinks, baths, showers and taps.
• Stay away from windows and doors, and off porches.
• Don't lie on concrete floors or lean on concrete walls.

If you are caught outside

These steps don't make you safe. They only lower the risk while you keep moving toward shelter.

• Get off hills, ridges and peaks right away.
• Never shelter under a lone tree. Being under a tree is the second leading cause of lightning casualties.
• Never lie flat on the ground. It raises your risk from current spreading through the ground.
• Get out of and away from ponds, lakes and other water.
• Stay away from things that carry electricity: power lines, wire fences, metal poles.

Driving

• A hard-topped car with the windows up protects you. Stay in it until the storm passes.
• Don't drive through flooded roads. Six inches (15 cm) of fast water can knock you down, and one foot (30 cm) can sweep a car away.

If someone is struck by lightning

The human body does not store electricity. A lightning victim carries no charge and is safe to touch.

1. Keep yourself safe too: the storm may still be overhead.
2. Call 911.
3. Check whether they are breathing normally. If not, start CPR and use an AED (automated external defibrillator) if one is available. See the cpr-choking guide.
4. Look for burns and other injuries, and keep watching them until help arrives.

Learn CPR in a Red Cross or American Heart Association class.

After

• Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning before going back out.
• Listen to authorities and forecasts, especially for flash flood instructions.
• Watch for fallen power lines and trees, and report them right away. Never touch a downed line.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for rain before going in.
• Sheltering under a tree, a rain shelter or a small shed.
• Going back out too soon because the rain stopped or the sky looks lighter.
• Taking a shower or washing dishes during the storm.
• Being afraid to touch a victim. They need CPR now.

Sources: National Weather Service: Overview of Lightning Safety; National Weather Service: Lightning Safety Tips; National Weather Service: Lightning Myths; National Weather Service: Severe Thunderstorm Watch vs. Warning; Ready.gov: Thunderstorms and Lightning

Tornado

At a Tornado Warning, go now to the lowest floor, in a small interior room with no windows, and cover your head and neck.

Do this now

• At a Tornado Warning, go to your shelter now. Don't wait to see it.
• Go to a basement, safe room or storm shelter. If you have none, go to a small, windowless interior room on the lowest floor.
• Stay away from windows, doors and outside walls.
• Cover your head and neck with your arms. Pull furniture, blankets or a mattress around or over you.
• In a mobile home, car or outdoors: get to the nearest sturdy building now.
• Keep listening to alerts until the warning ends.

Watch or warning?

Before

• Choose your shelter at home, work and school: a storm shelter built to the ICC 500 standard, or a basement, or a small interior windowless room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.
• Sign up for local alerts, and have more than one way to get warnings: phone alerts, NOAA Weather Radio, local TV and radio.
• Practise going to your shelter with the whole household, including pets.
• Keep sturdy shoes, a flashlight and a phone charger near your shelter. See the emergency-kit guide.
• If you live in a mobile home, decide now which sturdy building you'll go to, and how long it takes to get there.

Signs a tornado may be coming

Sometimes there's no warning. Take shelter if you see or hear:

• A rotating, funnel-shaped cloud.
• An approaching cloud of debris.
• A loud roar like a freight train.

During

In a house or small building

1. Go to the basement, safe room, or an interior room away from windows on the lowest floor.
2. Stay away from windows, doors and outside walls.
3. Cover your head and neck with your arms. Put blankets, cushions or a mattress around or on top of you to protect against flying debris.
4. Stay there until the warning has ended.

At school, work or a store

• Follow the tornado drill and go to the shelter area.
• Stay away from windows. Don't go to big open rooms like cafeterias, gyms or auditoriums.

In a mobile home

A mobile home is not safe in a tornado. Leave it and go to a sturdy building or storm shelter. Go before the storm arrives, so you aren't outside when the tornado hits.

In a car

There is no safe choice in a car, only less dangerous ones.

1. If you can, drive to the nearest sturdy shelter.
2. If you can't, stay in the car with your seat belt on, get down below the windows and cover your head.
3. Or, if you can safely get lower than the road (a ditch), leave the car, lie there and cover your head with your arms.
4. Don't stop under a bridge or overpass. Cars stopped there can create deadly traffic hazards.

Outdoors

Get inside a sturdy building right away.

After

• Keep listening to NOAA Weather Radio or local news. More tornadoes can follow in the same outbreak.
• Text or use social media to tell family you're OK. Save phone calls for emergencies.
• Wait until the threat has passed before you look at damage.
• Wear long pants, long sleeves, sturdy thick-soled shoes and work gloves in damaged areas. Watch for broken glass and nails.
• Stay out of damaged buildings.
• Stay clear of fallen power lines and broken utility lines, and report them.
• If you're trained, give first aid to injured people until help arrives. Call 911 (or your local emergency number) for serious injuries. See the first-aid guide.
• Watch out for scammers offering repairs or insurance help.

Common mistakes

• Going outside to look or to film the tornado.
• Sheltering under an overpass.
• Staying in a mobile home because it seems safer than driving.
• Waiting for the siren. Act on any warning you get.

Sources: Ready.gov: Tornadoes; National Weather Service: Tornado Watch vs. Warning; National Weather Service: During a Tornado; National Weather Service: After a Tornado

Tsunami

Strong shaking at the coast, a roar from the sea or the water pulling back are your warning. Go to high ground or inland now, on foot.

Do this now

• If you feel a strong or long earthquake near the coast, Drop, Cover, Hold On until the shaking stops, then leave for high ground.
• If you hear a loud roar from the ocean or see the water suddenly drain away or rise, go now.
• Don't wait for an official warning or for officials to tell you. A tsunami can arrive within minutes.
• Go to ground 100 feet (30 m) or more above sea level, or at least 1 mile (1.6 km) inland. Go on foot if roads are jammed or damaged.
• If you get an official warning, leave as soon as you're told to.
• Stay away from the coast until local officials say it's safe, even if the water looks calm.

Natural warnings

Nature often gives the first warning, before any official alert:

• Strong or long shaking from an earthquake.
• A loud roar from the ocean.
• The ocean acting strangely: water suddenly pulling back from the shore (a sudden drop), a sudden rise, or a wall of water.

Any one of these is enough. Go at once. Waves can be 10 to 100 feet (3 to 30 m) high.

Before

• Find out if your home, school, work or places you visit are in a tsunami hazard or evacuation zone, and whether your area has had tsunamis before.
• Learn your community's evacuation routes and assembly areas. If none are marked, ask your local emergency management office.
• Plan to reach your safe place on foot. Earthquakes can damage roads, and traffic jams are likely.
• Walk your route, including at night and in bad weather, so it's quick when it counts.
• Sign up for local alerts and keep a NOAA Weather Radio or battery radio.
• Make a family plan with a meeting place on high ground and an out-of-area contact. See the family-plan guide.

• If you can't reach high ground in time, ask your emergency management office whether there are tall, strong buildings where you could go to upper floors (vertical evacuation).

During

On land

1. If there's an earthquake, Drop, Cover, Hold On until the shaking stops.
2. Then go immediately. Head to your safe place outside the hazard zone, as high and as far inland as you can.
3. If you're on the beach, move off it right away toward high ground or inland.
4. Leave on foot if roads are blocked. Don't go back for belongings.
5. If you're outside the hazard zone when a warning comes, stay where you are unless officials tell you otherwise.
6. Listen to officials, but don't wait for their order if you've seen the natural signs.

If you're caught in the water

Grab onto something that floats, such as a raft or a tree trunk, and hold on.

On a boat

• If you're in a boat at sea, go out to sea, facing the direction of the waves.
• If you're in a harbour, leave the boat and go inland.

After

• Stay out of the hazard zone until local officials tell you it's safe.
• Stay out of the water and away from beaches and waterways.
• Avoid floodwater. It can hide dangerous debris, and it may be deeper than it looks.
• Don't touch electrical equipment if it's wet or you're standing in water. Stay away from downed power lines and report them.
• Stay away from damaged buildings, roads and bridges. Don't go into a building with earthquake or tsunami damage, or with water around it, until a professional or official says it's safe.
• Call 911 (or your local emergency number) for medical emergencies.
• Text or use social media to tell family you're safe. Save phone calls for emergencies so lines stay open.
• Keep listening to NOAA Weather Radio, local news or phone alerts for when you can return, what to avoid and where shelters are.

Common mistakes

• Going down to the beach to look when the water pulls back.
• Waiting for a siren or an official warning after you've felt strong shaking.
• Driving when walking would be faster through jammed or broken roads.
• Going home after the first wave. More, bigger waves can follow.
• Returning because a warning was cancelled, before officials say the area is safe.

Sources: Ready.gov: Tsunamis; National Weather Service: Before a Tsunami; National Weather Service: During a Tsunami; National Weather Service: After a Tsunami

Wildfire

Leave early: don't wait to be told if a fire threatens your home or route. Keep an N95 for smoke and clear 5 feet around the house.

Do this now

• If officials tell you to evacuate, go now. Don't wait to be told if the fire threatens your home or your way out.
• Grab your go-bag, medicines, documents, phone and charger, and your pets.
• If there's time: close all windows and doors, turn off gas and propane, and leave lights on so firefighters can see the house in smoke.
• Drive out by the route officials give. Have a backup route.
• In smoke, stay indoors in a closed room, or wear a well-fitting N95.
• If you're trapped, call 911 (or your local emergency number) and give your location.

Ready, Set, Go

Fire departments use three steps:

• Ready: prepare your home, family and go-bag long before a fire.
• Set: when a fire is nearby, stay alert, pack the car and be ready to leave.
• Go: leave early. Leaving early gives you the best chance of surviving, and keeps roads clear for firefighters.

Before (Ready)

• Sign up for local emergency alerts. Have several ways to get them.
• Learn your evacuation zone and several routes out. Keep a paper map: phones die and screens are hard to read in smoke.
• Pick a meeting place outside the fire area, and plan for pets and large animals.
• Pack a go-bag: water (1 gallon, about 4 litres, per person per day for 3 days), food, first aid kit, flashlight, radio, medicines, glasses, documents, cash, chargers. Keep an extra kit in the car.
• Keep N95 masks on hand for smoke.
• Make sure everyone knows how to shut off gas, electricity and water.
• Keep a garden hose long enough to reach every side of the house.

Defensible space

Clear burnable material around your home so embers and flames are less likely to reach it. Local rules vary, so check with your fire department.

When a fire is near (Set)

• Watch fire news and alerts, including Red Flag Warnings: hot, dry, windy conditions where fire can spread fast.
• Tell your household and neighbours. Make sure everyone and every pet is accounted for and ready to leave.
• Back the car into the driveway, packed, with windows up.
• If time allows, inside: close all windows and doors. Close metal blinds. Move furniture to the middle of rooms. Turn off pilot lights and air conditioning. Leave lights on.
• If time allows, outside: bring patio furniture, toys and doormats inside. Turn off propane and gas at the meter. Don't leave sprinklers or hoses running: they lower the water pressure firefighters need. Leave outside lights on.

Leave (Go)

• Don't wait to be told to leave if there's a possible threat to your home or route. If you're told to leave, don't hesitate.
• Take people, pets, medicines, important papers, ID, phones and chargers.
• Go to a planned low-risk place: a relative's home, a shelter or a motel.
• Follow officials' routes, and choose the safest route away from the fire.

If you're trapped

Call 911 and give your location. Help may be delayed or impossible, so protect yourself.

In a car:

1. Park off the road, in an area with as little to burn as possible: a parking lot, a bare field.
2. Stay inside until the fire passes. Keep the engine running, windows up, and air on recirculate.
3. Lie on the floor and cover yourself with a wool or cotton blanket or jacket.
4. Don't touch hot metal parts. Leave on foot only as a last resort.

At home:

1. Stay inside, away from outside walls, until the fire passes or firefighters tell you otherwise.
2. Fill sinks and tubs with water. Put wet towels under doors.
3. Wear long sleeves, long pants and natural-fibre clothes. Drink water.
4. Make sure you can get out if the house catches fire. Turn on lights so rescuers can find you.
5. After the fire passes, check the roof and attic for sparks and embers, if it's safe.

On foot: go to the biggest area with the least to burn (a pond, a parking lot, bare or watered ground) and shelter behind boulders or rock if you can.

Smoke

• Stay inside with windows and doors closed. Pick one room you can close off and run a portable air cleaner there. Set central air to recirculate.
• Check air quality at AirNow (airnow.gov) or your phone's weather app.
• If you must go outside, wear a well-fitting N95 or P100 respirator. These protect best.
• Children, pregnant people, and people with asthma, COPD, heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease should take extra care.

After

• Don't go home until officials say it's safe.
• Watch for hot ash, charred trees, smouldering debris and live embers. Stay away from downed lines.
• Wear protective clothing and an N95 while cleaning up. People with lung disease should take extra care.
• Photograph damage for your insurance company.
• Text or use social media. Save phone calls for emergencies.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for an evacuation order while the fire grows.
• Leaving sprinklers running when you go.
• Relying on a loose mask for smoke. Use a well-fitting N95 or P100.
• Getting out of the car and running through smoke.
• Going home early to check on the house.

Sources: Ready.gov: Wildfires; IAFC Ready, Set, Go!: Wildland Fire Action Guide; CDC: Wildfires and Wildfire Smoke; UC ANR Fire Network: What To Do When Trapped

Winter Storm and Extreme Cold

Stay off the roads, heat your home safely, and watch for frostbite, hypothermia and carbon monoxide. Body temperature below 95 °F is an emergency.

Do this now

• Under a Winter Storm Warning, get indoors and stay off the roads.
• Never heat your home with a gas stove, oven, grill or generator.
• Keep space heaters 3 feet (1 m) from curtains, furniture and bedding, and never cover them.
• Check that your carbon monoxide (CO) alarm works.
• Let taps drip to keep pipes from freezing.
• If you go out, dress in layers, cover your head, face and hands, and limit your time outside.

Watch or warning?

Before

• Sign up for local alerts, and keep a NOAA Weather Radio or battery radio.
• Stock supplies to stay home for several days without power: water, food that needs no cooking, medicines, flashlights, batteries, blankets. See the emergency-kit guide.
• Test smoke alarms and CO alarms with battery backup.
• Have your furnace, water heater, chimney and other fuel-burning appliances checked every year.
• Car kit: jumper cables, sand or cat litter, flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water and snacks. Keep the gas tank full. See the car-emergency guide.
• Learn how to keep pipes from freezing and where to shut off your water.

During

At home

• Stay inside if you can.
• Heat safely. Use electric space heaters with automatic shut-off and no glowing elements. Keep them 3 feet from anything that burns, don't put them on furniture or near water, and never cover them.
• Use fireplaces and fuel heaters only if they're vented to the outside.
• Run generators, grills and camp stoves only outdoors, at least 20 feet (6 m) from windows, doors and vents. Never in a garage or basement.
• Babies under 1 year shouldn't sleep in a cold room. Keep soft bedding out of their sleep area.
• If you're over 65, check your home's temperature often.
• See the staying-warm guide for keeping warm without power.

Pipes

• Leave taps slightly open so they drip continuously.
• If a pipe freezes, thaw it slowly with warm air from a hair dryer. Never use a torch.
• If you have no other water, boil melted snow for 1 minute. This won't remove chemicals.

Going outside

• Wear layers, with a wind- and water-resistant outer layer. Add a hat, face covering, mittens and water-resistant boots.
• Stay dry. Wet clothes chill you fast.
• Constant shivering means it's time to go in.
• Use rock salt, de-icer or sand on icy steps and walks.

Shovelling snow

Cold weather puts extra strain on the heart, and shovelling can bring on a heart attack.

• If you have heart disease or high blood pressure, follow your doctor's advice about shovelling.
• Work slowly, take breaks, and avoid getting sweaty.

On the road

• Stay off the roads if you can. Slippery roads injure and kill thousands of people every winter.

If you're stranded, stay in the car. It's usually the safest place when visibility is poor or roads are icy.

1. Run the engine and heater about 10 minutes each hour, with one window open a crack.
2. Keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow.
3. Tie a bright cloth to the antenna so rescuers can spot you.
4. Move your arms and legs, stay awake, and huddle together for warmth.
5. Don't eat snow: it lowers your body temperature.

Frostbite and hypothermia

A body temperature below 95 °F (35 °C) is an emergency. Call 911. See the cold-injuries guide.

After

• Keep vents, flues and the car's exhaust pipe clear of snow.
• Keep checking on older neighbours and anyone living alone.
• Keep shovelling slowly. The heart risk doesn't end when the snow stops.

Common mistakes

• Using the oven or a grill to heat the house.
• Running the car with the tailpipe buried in snow.
• Leaving a stranded car to walk for help in a storm.
• Shovelling heavy snow fast without breaks.
• Rubbing frostbitten skin or warming it with very hot water.

Sources: Ready.gov: Winter Weather; CDC: Safety Guidelines During and After a Winter Storm; CDC: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics