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 bodyDownloadFree

  Make a family emergency plan (opens in a new tab)

  FEMA

  A fill-in plan covering meeting points, out-of-area contacts and who collects the kids. The out-of-area contact is the single most useful line on it, because long distance often works when local calling does not.

• Government or standards bodyTrainingFree

  Community Emergency Response Team (opens in a new tab)

  FEMA

  Free local training in light search and rescue, fire suppression and triage, running in all 50 states plus tribal nations and territories. The best value in preparedness training, and it puts you in a room with your neighbours.

• 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 bodyDataFree

  FEMA Flood Map Service Center (opens in a new tab)

  FEMA

  Look up whether your address sits in a mapped flood zone. Worth ten minutes even if you are certain you are not, because flood insurance and mortgage requirements both key off this map.

• 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

  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 bodyToolFree

  ShakeAlert (opens in a new tab)

  USGS

  Earthquake early warning for the West Coast. It buys seconds, not minutes, which is enough to get under a table and nowhere near enough to leave a building.

• 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 bodyDataFree

  InciWeb incident information (opens in a new tab)

  NWCG

  Per-incident wildfire updates, perimeter maps and evacuation notices, straight from the incident management teams. Slower than social media and far more accurate.

• Government or standards bodyDataFree

  AirNow (opens in a new tab)

  EPA

  Official air quality index with wildfire smoke overlays. Pair it with a plan for indoor air, because during a smoke event the indoor number is the one you can actually change.

• Government or standards bodyDataFree

  USGS water data (opens in a new tab)

  USGS

  Live stream gauges and groundwater levels. Useful for flood watching and for understanding whether the creek you were counting on runs year round.

• Government or standards bodyDataFree

  US Drought Monitor (opens in a new tab)

  NDMC, USDA and NOAA

  Weekly drought classification by county. It drives water restrictions and fire restrictions in most of the West, so it tells you what rules are coming before they arrive.

• Established nonprofitNonprofitFree

  How to prepare for emergencies (opens in a new tab)

  American Red Cross

  Hazard-by-hazard guidance with a lighter touch than the federal pages. The shelter-finding tools during an active event are the part worth knowing about in advance.

• Established nonprofitNonprofitFree

  Firewise USA (opens in a new tab)

  NFPA

  Defensible space standards and the zone system around a structure. Zone zero, the first five feet, does more than anything else on the list and costs nothing but a Saturday.

• Practitioner or communityToolFree tier

  CalTopo (opens in a new tab)

  CalTopo

  Serious topographic mapping with printable outputs, slope shading and fire history layers. The free tier prints a good paper map, which is the version that works with a dead phone.

• Practitioner or communityCommunityFree

  r/preppers (opens in a new tab)

  Reddit

  The largest general preparedness forum, and more practical than its reputation suggests. Sort by top of the month rather than reading the front page, which skews toward news reaction.