News - The Survival Tabs
How to Plan Evacuation Routes and Backup Meeting Points
Learn to plan primary and backup evacuation routes, choose practical family meeting points, arrange transport and adapt to changing hazards.
Emergency Communication Planning for Families
Build a family emergency communication plan with contact cards, backup methods, check-in procedures, and practical communication tips.
How to Write a Family Emergency Plan Everyone Can Follow
Learn how to write a practical family emergency plan with clear meeting places, communication steps, helper roles, and a one-page checklist.
Planning for Three Months of Household Disruption
The handbook's three-month planning horizon includes personal disruptions such as illness, injury or job loss as well as broader emergencies.
How to Build a Two-Week Household Emergency Plan
After a basic 72-hour plan, the handbook recommends extending preparedness for disruptions that last longer than a few days.
72-Hour Emergency Preparedness: What to Plan First
The handbook presents the first 72 hours as the foundation of a layered preparedness plan. A short-disruption kit should be usable and easy to locate.
How to Assess Your Household's Emergency Risks
A useful preparedness plan starts with the hazards your household could realistically face, not an expensive list of gear.
How to Create a Personal Survival Mindset Checklist
A one-page checklist can help turn general preparedness ideas into decisions that are easier to recall under pressure.
How to Rank Emergency Risks by Likelihood and Severity
Not all hazards deserve the same attention. The handbook recommends comparing both the chance of an event and the consequences it could have.
How to Practice Emergency Decision-Making at Home
Simple household exercises can make a written plan easier to use. Practice should be safe, age-appropriate and adapted to household needs.
Group Survival: How to Make Decisions Under Pressure
In a household or small group, clear roles and brief communication can reduce confusion during an emergency.
Common Survival Mindset Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
A familiar environment or a confident first guess can sometimes hide a developing problem. Recognizing common decision traps helps people reassess.
How to Build Mental Resilience Before an Emergency
Resilience is supported by realistic preparation, social support and practice. It does not require deliberately exposing yourself to dangerous conditions.
Survival Priorities: What to Do First in an Emergency
The first priority is not always the same. Immediate danger, serious injury and official safety instructions take precedence over generic gear checklists.
The Rule of Threes in Survival: What It Means and Its Limitations
The familiar Rule of Threes is a memory aid for thinking about air, shelter, water and food. It is not a medical timer or a guarantee of how long anyone can survive.
Situational Awareness: How to Recognize Risks Before They Become Emergencies
Situational awareness means noticing changing conditions and making practical adjustments before a small problem becomes more serious.
The STOP Survival Method: Stop, Think, Observe, Plan
STOP is a short framework for organizing your next decision when you become lost, stranded or confronted with an unexpected disruption.
How to Stay Calm and Think Clearly in an Emergency
An emergency can narrow attention and make simple choices feel difficult. Preparedness begins with a repeatable decision process, not a promise that you will never feel afraid.
Home Healthcare Service Disruption Preparedness Guide
Prepare for delayed home-health visits with clear clinical instructions, backup caregivers, supplies, records, and escalation thresholds.
Child Separation and Family Reunification Plan
Help children and caregivers reconnect after an emergency with verified contacts, meeting places, identification, and school procedures.
Prosthetic and Orthotic Device Emergency Guide
Protect fit, skin, mobility, charging, and replacement information for prosthetic and orthotic devices during emergencies.
Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Emergency Guide
Keep hearing technology, power, dry storage, accessible alerts, and communication backups ready for emergencies.
CPAP and Sleep Apnea Power Outage Preparedness Guide
Prepare a clinician- and manufacturer-approved plan for CPAP use during outages, evacuation, travel, and poor air conditions.
Augmentative Communication Emergency Preparedness Guide
Maintain communication during emergencies with low-tech backups, charged devices, clear instructions, and trained support people.
Wheelchair and Mobility Device Emergency Guide
Protect mobility and independence by planning accessible routes, assistance, charging, repairs, and device information.
Diabetes Emergency Preparedness Guide
Build a portable diabetes plan for medication, monitoring, food, hydration, records, power loss, and disrupted care.
Home Oxygen Emergency Preparedness Guide
Prepare clinician-approved backup oxygen, evacuation, power, supplier, and fire-safety plans before an outage or disaster.
Ostomy Emergency Preparedness Guide
Maintain ostomy care during evacuation or utility disruption with extra supplies, clean-water planning, records, and privacy.
Dialysis Emergency Preparedness Guide
Build a clinician-approved plan for dialysis disruptions covering treatment contacts, records, transportation, medicines, food, and water.
Dental Emergency Preparedness Guide
Prepare for urgent dental problems when services are disrupted without relying on unsafe home repairs or delayed professional care.
Eyeglasses and Contact Lens Emergency Preparedness Guide
Protect vision during evacuations and water disruptions with spare glasses, safe lens hygiene, prescriptions, and accessible organization.
Household Poison Prevention During Disasters
Prevent accidental poisoning when medicines, fuels, cleaners, pesticides, and unfamiliar containers are moved or used during emergencies.
Menstrual Hygiene During Emergencies Guide
Prepare menstrual supplies, clean-water options, privacy, disposal, and backup plans for disruptions and evacuation.
Avalanche Awareness and Backcountry Travel Guide
Make conservative winter backcountry decisions using forecasts, terrain awareness, training, rescue equipment, and group discipline.
Chainsaw and Storm Debris Cleanup Safety Guide
Approach storm debris conservatively by recognizing electrical, structural, and chainsaw hazards before cleanup begins.
Mold Prevention and Cleanup After Water Damage
Reduce mold growth after leaks or floods by entering safely, drying promptly, discarding unsalvageable materials, and using appropriate protection.
Infant Feeding During Emergencies Guide
Plan safe infant feeding during outages, evacuations, and water emergencies with clean supplies, reliable guidance, and flexible options.
Downed Power Line and Electrical Grid Safety Guide
Treat every fallen or damaged wire as energized, maintain distance, and report the hazard without approaching it.
Electrical Safety After Floods and Severe Storms
Avoid shock, fire, and equipment hazards by treating flooded electrical systems as unsafe until qualified inspection and clearance.
Natural Gas Leak Emergency Safety Guide
Know how to recognize a possible natural-gas leak, leave without creating a spark, and contact responders from a safe location.
Dam and Levee Failure Evacuation Guide
Prepare for fast-moving flooding from a dam or levee failure by learning warning systems, evacuation routes, and high-ground options.
Household Infectious-Disease Outbreak Preparedness Guide
Prepare a flexible household plan for infectious-disease outbreaks using trusted updates, cleaner air, hygiene, supplies, and care access.
Radiation Emergency Shelter and Decontamination Guide
Understand the protective priorities for a radiation emergency: get inside, remain sheltered, and follow official information.
Emergency Lighting and Battery Safety Guide
Plan reliable outage lighting with layered flashlights, safe batteries, accessible placement, and routine testing.
Private Well Safety After Flooding
Protect your household after flooding by isolating a private well, using alternate water, and arranging inspection and testing.
Apartment Fire Escape Planning Guide
Build an apartment-specific fire escape plan with two routes, smoke-alarm readiness, stairwell decisions, and a meeting place.
Septic System Safety During and After Flooding
Reduce sewage and system damage during floods by limiting use, avoiding the drainfield, and relying on qualified inspection.
Carbon Monoxide Safety During Power Outages
Prevent carbon monoxide exposure during outages with safer equipment placement, working alarms, and a clear response plan.
Language Access and Multilingual Household Emergency Guide
A practical language-access guide for households that use multiple languages or need interpretation during alerts, evacuation, sheltering, and recovery.
Boil-Water Advisory and Drinking Water Notice Guide
A practical guide to understanding water notices, using safe alternatives, boiling boundaries, household hygiene, and returning to normal service.