Ready.gov and FEMA
Kits, family plans, shelter in place, evacuation, outages and most hazards.
Ready.gov: ready.gov
About
How we research
Every step on this site and in the app comes from public guidance we opened and link to, so you can check it yourself.
Our sources
Who we check against
Government agencies and long-standing safety groups first. Each card links to the site we use.
CDC
Safe water, carbon monoxide, heat and cold illness, hygiene and caring for the sick.
CDC: cdc.gov
EPA
Well water, wildfire smoke indoors, mould and wood smoke.
EPA: epa.gov
USDA and FoodSafety.gov
Food in a power outage, canning, drying, curing and storage times.
FoodSafety.gov: foodsafety.gov
NWS and NOAA
Floods, storms, tornadoes, lightning, heat and winter weather.
National Weather Service: weather.gov
USGS
Earthquakes: what to do before, during and after.
USGS: usgs.gov
American Red Cross
First aid, home fire drills, supply lists and out-of-area contacts.
American Red Cross: redcross.org
NFPA
Home fire escape plans, smoke alarms, cooking fires and heating safety.
NFPA: nfpa.org
University extension services
Gardening, soil, compost, rainwater, home repairs and the USDA-tested canning recipes kept by the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
NCHFP: nchfp.uga.edu
US Army FM 21‑76, Survival
Outdoor skills only: fire, shelter, water in the field, knots and signalling.
FM 21-76: archive.org copy
How a guide is written
From source to page
Each guide goes through the same three steps.
- We open the agency pages for the topic and work from what they say today, in their numbers and their order of steps.
- The page cites each source where its fact appears, with a link, plus a source list at the end.
- When an agency changes its advice, we update the page to match.
Limits
What we don't do
We give standard first aid as the Red Cross and the CDC describe it, and nothing beyond. For anything medical, talk to a doctor, and in an emergency call 911 or your local number.
We make no claims for products, and we describe traditional kitchen preparations as history, with no health claims.
Local authorities always come first. If your county or city says something different from a page here, follow them.
Corrections
Found a mistake?
Tell us through the contact form and pick "A correction" as the topic. Include the page and, if you can, the source that says otherwise. We check it against the source and fix the page when it is wrong.