Resource library

Matching resources

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  Ready.gov (opens in a new tab)

  FEMA

  The federal baseline for household preparedness, in more than ten languages. Start here before you buy anything. The checklists are conservative and free, which is the right combination for a first plan.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  Build a kit (opens in a new tab)

  FEMA

  The federal kit list. Treat it as a floor rather than a target: it is deliberately generic, so it under-specifies for cold climates and says little about medication.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  National Preparedness (opens in a new tab)

  FEMA

  The planning frameworks emergency managers actually use. Heavier reading than Ready.gov, and worth it if you want to understand how the official response is supposed to work before you rely on it.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  DisasterAssistance.gov (opens in a new tab)

  US Federal Government

  Where federal aid applications actually happen after a declared disaster. Bookmark it now, because the moment you need it you will be searching on a phone with two bars.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  Prepare Your Health (opens in a new tab)

  CDC

  The health side of preparedness: medication supply, personal health records, and planning for chronic conditions. The medication continuity guidance is the part most kit lists skip entirely.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  Making water safe in an emergency (opens in a new tab)

  CDC

  Boiling times, bleach ratios and what disinfection does not fix. The chemical ratios here are the ones to trust, because most of the numbers circulating online are copied from older guidance.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  Ground water and drinking water (opens in a new tab)

  EPA

  Standards, contaminant limits and how to read a water quality report. Useful when you want to know what a filter claim means rather than what the box says.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  National Weather Service (opens in a new tab)

  NOAA

  Forecasts and warnings from the source, without an app layer adding its own interpretation. The local office pages carry the detail that national apps flatten out.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  National Hurricane Center (opens in a new tab)

  NOAA

  Advisories, cones and storm surge maps during hurricane season. The surge map matters more than the wind category for most coastal households, and it is the one people look at last.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  Storm Prediction Center (opens in a new tab)

  NOAA

  Severe thunderstorm and tornado outlooks, issued days ahead. The convective outlook is how you know to charge everything and move the car the night before.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  USGS Earthquake Hazards (opens in a new tab)

  USGS

  Real-time earthquake feeds plus long-run hazard maps. The hazard map is the useful half: it tells you whether your bookshelf strapping is theatre or necessary.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  National Interagency Fire Center (opens in a new tab)

  NIFC

  National wildfire situation reports and preparedness levels. Reading the daily situation report through a bad August tells you more than any news coverage will.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  Carbon Monoxide Information Center (opens in a new tab)

  CPSC

  Generator and heater placement rules, and the reason those rules exist. Carbon monoxide kills more people after storms than the storms do, and the fix is free: distance and a working alarm.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  FoodSafety.gov (opens in a new tab)

  US Federal Government

  Storage times, safe temperatures and what to throw out after an outage. The four-hour refrigerator rule and the full-freezer rule are the two numbers to memorise.

• Government or standards bodyGovernment agencyFree

  Cooperative Extension System (opens in a new tab)

  USDA NIFA

  Find your state extension office. Extension publications are the most under-used preparedness resource in the country: tested, local, free, and written by people who answer the phone.