Ready When It Counts

Preparedness North America Edition Ready When It Counts Storms, blackouts, wildfires, deep freezes. You can’t stop them — but a little preparation changes everything. Here’s how ordinary people across the U.S. and Canada get ready, and what to do when the unexpected arrives. By the Editors Adapted for North American readers 9 min read Two people in the same rainstorm: one stands calm and dry under an umbrella, the other is hunched, soaked and cold without one Same storm, two outcomes. The umbrella is preparation — the difference between weathering a crisis and being caught out in it. On a Tuesday night in February, the power went out at Marcus Bell’s house outside Columbus, Ohio. An ice storm had pulled down lines across three counties, and the utility said it could be days. The furnace was dead. The fridge was warming. His phone showed one bar. But in a hall closet sat a plastic tote Marcus had packed the previous fall — water, food, a hand-crank radio, batteries, a couple of headlamps. That night his family was cold and bored. They were not, however, in danger. That is the whole idea. Preparedness simply means getting ready, in advance, for disruptions and emergencies before they happen. It isn’t about expecting disaster. It’s about making the bad days easier to get through. The situations worth preparing for are familiar to anyone who watches the weather: Long power and water outages Extended loss of internet or phone service Hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, ice storms and earthquakes Sheltering indoors after a chemical release or heavy smoke Long-running crises, such as a pandemic Major disruptions are not everyday events. We prepare not because we expect the worst, but because preparation costs little and pays off when it counts. When something serious happens, emergency managers, utilities and first responders step in — but they cannot be everywhere at once. What each household does in the first hours and days genuinely matters. “Preparing doesn’t mean you think something bad will happen. It means that, sometimes, unlikely things do.” The Four Pillars There are many ways to prepare We can all prepare, even though everyone starts from a different place. Real readiness rests on four things working together. 01 A kit At least three days — 72 hours — of food, water and essential supplies on hand at home. 02 A plan Knowing how to act when an ordinary day turns abnormal — before you have to. 03 Capacity Physical and mental resilience — the stamina and steadiness to keep going. 04 Community Trust and connection with the people around you — and the ability to help and be helped. Build a Kit Your 72-hour kit is the foundation A kit just means you have food, water and the essentials at home to get your household through at least three days on its own. Everyone’s needs are different — build yours around the people, kids, seniors and pets under your roof. CHECKLIST The emergency supply basics ✓ Ready-to-eat food — no cooking, no refrigeration needed ✓ One gallon of water per person, per day ✓ A supply of essential prescription medications ✓ A battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA weather radio ✓ A flashlight or headlamp that doesn’t need the grid ✓ Spare batteries and a charged power bank ✓ Clean, lidded containers for storing water ✓ Wet wipes and hand sanitizer ✓ Some cash in small bills ✓ Potassium iodide (KI) tablets if you live near a nuclear plant ✓ Duct tape and a multi-tool ✓ Copies of key documents and a paper contact list “After the third hurricane, I stopped scrambling for water at the store. Now I keep a case under every bed.” — Diane Alvarez, Tampa, Florida In the Moment When something happens, here’s how to act Every sudden disruption is different, but the same handful of moves will carry you through most of them. 1 Keep calm. A clear head is your most useful tool. Take a breath before you take a step. 2 Size up the situation. What’s happening, what you already know to do, and how it affects you, your loved ones and your neighbors. 3 Follow official guidance. Listen to your local emergency management agency, the National Weather Service and FEMA — in Canada, your provincial agency and GetPrepared.gc.ca — and act on their instructions. 4 Make a short list, then act. Write down the few most important things to do right now — and start doing them. 5 Help others, and ask for help. Do what you can for the people around you, and don’t be shy about reaching out when you need a hand. If it’s an emergency, call 911. Fires, injuries, or any situation that needs immediate help from firefighters, paramedics or police. For reliable updates the rest of the time, go to official sources — Ready.gov, weather.gov and your local government’s channels — not the loudest post in your feed. And if you’re rattled, don’t ride it out alone: talk to family or neighbors. Everyday Life How a disruption reaches into your day Trouble piles up fastest when a situation drags on. Use these questions to find the gaps before they find you. How will you eat if you can’t get to a grocery store? → Keep at least three days of food you can eat as-is. Think through how you’d cook with no power — a camp stove works, but only outdoors, never inside. What if the taps run dry for several days? → Store one gallon of water per person, per day, for at least three days. Bottled cases stack neatly in a closet and last for months. What if internet and phones are down for a long time? → Decide in advance who — or which local place — you could go to for information. Keep a battery or hand-crank radio; NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts updates around the clock. What if the heat fails and the house goes cold? → Pick the one room you can keep warmest and gather everyone there. Layer up, keep warm blankets ready — and never heat your home with a stove, oven or generator, which can release deadly carbon monoxide. How will you light the house during a long outage? → Keep a flashlight or headlamp and the right batteries for it. Battery light is far safer than open flame — candles are a leading cause of house fires during outages. What keeps your spirits up when it drags on? → Have a few low-tech comforts on hand — board games, books, paper and pens. And remember what has helped you through hard stretches before; for most people, that’s other people. “The winter the grid failed in Texas, our whole apartment crowded into one room with every blanket we owned. We were fine — because we stayed together and stayed warm.” — Tyler Okafor, Austin, Texas Alerts & Warnings How you’ll be warned about hazards When a hazard develops, authorities reach you through several channels at once. Know what each one means so you can act on it fast. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) Short, loud messages pushed straight to your phone for severe weather, evacuations and threats to life. No app or sign-up needed — just leave them switched on. NOAA Weather Radio & the FEMA app A weather radio keeps working when the cell network doesn’t. The FEMA app adds forecasts, alerts and the location of nearby shelters. Emergency Alert System (EAS) Official warnings broadcast over TV and radio that explain what happened and how to protect yourself. Follow the instructions exactly as given. Outdoor sirens Many tornado- and flood-prone towns sound sirens that mean: go indoors and find out what’s happening. Communities test them on a set schedule — a test is nothing to act on. How to shelter in place 1 Get indoors right away. 2 Turn off ventilation. Close and seal doors, windows and vents. 3 Follow official alerts and do exactly as they say. 4 Stay inside until authorities say the danger has passed. Skills & Community Learn the skills, and lean on each other Show up Community is a safety net you build before you need it. Join a neighborhood group, volunteer, help organize a block. People who know their neighbors come through hard times in far better shape. Train up Take a first-aid and CPR course with the American Red Cross (or Canadian Red Cross). Sign up for free CERT training through your local emergency management office — it’s open to everyone. “I took a CERT class on a whim. When the wildfire smoke rolled in, I was the one on my street who knew how to help. That changes how a neighborhood feels.” — Rosa Nguyen, Sacramento, California Where to learn more Bookmark these before you need them United States Ready.gov — and Listo.gov for Spanish-language guidance Canada GetPrepared.gc.ca — provincial and territorial plans Weather & alerts weather.gov and NOAA Weather Radio; the FEMA app In an emergency Call 911 for immediate, life-threatening help Adapted for North American readers from a public-sector preparedness guide. For general information only — always follow guidance from your local authorities.