Weather safety guides
These are written by us, not pulled from a feed. Each one answers a single question completely: what the words on an alert mean, how to build a plan you can carry out in ninety seconds, what to pack, and what to do when the power goes out.
Severe weather
Watch vs. Warning: what the words on a weather alert actually mean
A watch means conditions are favorable. A warning means it is happening or about to. Here is how to read the rest of the alert too.
6 min read · Updated September 2026
A tornado plan you can actually carry out in ninety seconds
Median tornado warning lead time is short. This is how to pick a safe spot, what to wear, and what to do if you have no basement, live in a mobile home, or are driving.
7 min read · Updated September 2026
Preparedness
Hurricane season, week by week: a preparedness checklist that is not overwhelming
What to do at the start of the season, at seventy-two hours, at thirty-six hours, and at landfall, including the surge question most people get wrong.
8 min read · Updated September 2026
Winter storms and power outages: staying warm when the grid goes down
How to hold heat in one room, safe and unsafe heating, protecting pipes, and what to do with the food in your fridge.
7 min read · Updated September 2026
Building a 72-hour emergency kit on a real budget
What genuinely belongs in a go-bag, what is marketing, and how to assemble one over a few weeks instead of one expensive afternoon.
6 min read · Updated September 2026
Health
Extreme heat: how to tell ordinary hot from dangerous, and what to do about it
Heat index, overnight lows, who is at risk, the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and how to cool a home without air conditioning.
7 min read · Updated September 2026
The Air Quality Index, explained without the jargon
What the colors mean, why PM2.5 matters more than the rest, how wildfire smoke behaves, and what actually filters it.
6 min read · Updated September 2026
Safety
Flash floods: why six inches of water is the number that matters
Most flood deaths happen in vehicles. What to do when a road is covered, how to read a flash flood warning, and how to prepare a home in a flood-prone spot.
6 min read · Updated September 2026
How to find emergency shelter, and what to expect when you get there
Where shelters are announced, the difference between an evacuation shelter and a warming center, what to bring, and what to do if you are turned away.
6 min read · Updated September 2026
Spotting disaster relief scams before they cost you
Fraud spikes after every disaster. The recurring patterns, the questions that end a scam call, and where to verify a charity or contractor.
6 min read · Updated September 2026