A Preparedness Board, Sensibly Armed with Checklists
Preparedness, minus the theatrical nonsense

Emergency Readiness Field Manual

A practical hub for safety, survival, weather readiness, food storage, canning, water, communications, medical response, personal protection, ammunition storage, evacuation, and household resilience. Nothing mystical. Just fewer ways to be caught flat-footed.

Fire Hub

Fire prevention, extinguishers, evacuation, smoke alarms, wildfire basics, and the sort of home fire readiness people mean to do later.

Weather Hub

Severe weather, hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, clouds, pressure, humidity, wind, and alerts. The sky has habits. Learn them.

Maritime Hub

Boating safety, seamanship, distress, VHF, tides, currents, navigation, and maritime weather. Water remains undefeated.

Resource Library

Authoritative links for training, planning, food safety, water safety, documents, and recovery. Prefer boring sources that are correct.

Section 01: Baseline Readiness

Start here

The goal is not bunker fantasy. The goal is being less useless when things go sideways.

A prepared household can absorb disruption: power outages, storm damage, boil water notices, supply shortages, road closures, medical emergencies, civil disturbance, wildfire smoke, flooding, vehicle breakdowns, or evacuation. The basics are boring because the basics work, which is rude of them but true.

Make the plan

Decide what your household does before the emergency arrives and starts offering suggestions.

  • Meeting points
  • Evacuation routes
  • Out of area contact
  • Pet plan
  • Medication plan
  • Child and elder support plan

Build the kits

Use layers. Home supplies, vehicle gear, work kit, and go bag all serve different missions. One heroic backpack is not a system.

  • Home kit for sheltering
  • Vehicle kit for breakdowns
  • Go bag for evacuation
  • Work kit for being stranded
  • Pet kit if applicable

Get trained

Gear is not a substitute for competence. Training turns purchased objects into actual capability.

  • First aid
  • CPR and AED
  • Stop the Bleed
  • CERT
  • Fire extinguisher use
  • Weather alerting
Plan Train Store Rotate Communicate Recover
Ready.gov: Make a Plan Ready.gov: Build a Kit Ready.gov: Low and No Cost Preparedness FEMA: CERT

Section 02: Readiness Tiers

Build by phase

Do not try to buy preparedness in one weekend.

Tier Purpose Primary Focus Reality Check
24 Hours Short outage, local disruption, minor weather event. Water, lights, phone charging, simple food, medicine, cash. Every household should be here already, ideally without needing a motivational poster.
72 Hours First wave of disaster response and service disruption. Food, water, sanitation, first aid, weather radio, documents. This is the real minimum standard.
2 Weeks Extended outage, storm recovery, illness, supply chain disruption. Food rotation, water treatment, prescriptions, repairs, security. This is where household resilience becomes serious and slightly less decorative.
Longer Term Lower dependence and higher self reliance. Gardening, canning, tools, skills, networks, backup systems. Long-term resilience is mostly logistics and discipline. Less cinematic, more useful.

Section 03: Water

Store, filter, disinfect

Water is the first real problem.

You can be hungry for a while. Thirst, contaminated water, failed sanitation, and dehydration get serious fast. Store water, know how to treat water, and plan for hygiene before the tap becomes a decorative feature.

Storage

  • Minimum 1 gallon per person per day
  • Add water for pets
  • Use food grade containers
  • Keep portable bottles for evacuation
  • Store away from chemicals and heat

Treatment

  • Boil when instructed
  • Use filters rated for the threat
  • Use chemical disinfection only with proper guidance
  • Do not trust floodwater
  • Do not guess with contamination

Sanitation

  • Soap and sanitizer
  • Contractor bags
  • Disinfectant
  • Toilet failure plan
  • Gloves and cleanup supplies
Rule: Water treatment is not a place for internet folklore. Use CDC, EPA, local emergency management, or manufacturer instructions. Your cousin's forum post can sit this one out.
CDC: Water Emergencies CDC: Make Water Safe EPA: Emergency Water Disinfection Ready.gov: Water

Section 04: Food, Canning, and Storage

Calories, safety, rotation

A pantry is better than panic buying.

Start with food your household already eats. Build a rotation system. Add shelf-stable food. Learn preservation properly. Canning can be excellent, but unsafe canning can kill people, which does take some charm out of homemade jam.

Emergency food

  • Rice, oats, pasta, beans, lentils
  • Canned meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, soup
  • Peanut butter and shelf stable spreads
  • Powdered milk and electrolyte drinks
  • Manual can opener
  • No cook food for power outages

Rotation system

  • Label purchase month and year
  • Use first in, first out
  • Store cool, dry, and dark
  • Protect from pests and moisture
  • Cook from storage monthly

Home canning

  • Use tested recipes
  • Water bath approved high acid foods
  • Pressure can low acid foods
  • Check seals
  • Do not improvise processing times

Cold food safety

  • Use appliance thermometers
  • Keep refrigerator at 40°F or below
  • Keep freezer at 0°F or below
  • Limit door openings
  • When in doubt, throw it out
Canning warning: Botulism is not something to play with. Low-acid foods require pressure canning using tested procedures. This is not where we express our creativity.
National Center for Home Food Preservation NCHFP: Canning Guidance USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning FoodSafety.gov: Emergency Food Safety

Section 05: Medical Readiness

Skills beat supplies

A kit helps. Training helps more.

Training priorities

  • First aid
  • CPR and AED
  • Stop the Bleed
  • Wilderness first aid
  • Naloxone awareness if appropriate

Home medical supplies

  • Gloves and eye protection
  • Gauze, wraps, tape, and shears
  • Tourniquet from a reputable source
  • Thermometer
  • Routine medication backup

Medical continuity

  • Medication list
  • Pharmacy and doctor contacts
  • Backup power for medical devices
  • Spare glasses
  • Caregiver plan
Red Cross: First Aid, CPR, AED Stop the Bleed Stop the Bleed: Online Course Ready.gov: Disabilities and Access Needs

Section 06: Weather and Alerts

Watch, warn, act

Do not outsource your awareness to one phone alert.

Alert stack

  • Wireless emergency alerts
  • NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
  • Local emergency management alerts
  • Battery radio
  • Trusted local weather sources

Threat monitoring

  • NWS watches and warnings
  • Hurricane outlooks
  • Severe storm outlooks
  • River and flood forecasts
  • Road and power outage information
National Weather Service: Safety NOAA Weather Radio Storm Prediction Center National Hurricane Center

Section 07: Power, Heat, Fuel, and Utilities

Keep systems running

Most emergencies become logistics problems.

Power

  • Battery banks
  • Rechargeable lights
  • Solar charger where practical
  • Generator if properly trained
  • Load rated extension cords

Heat and cooling

  • Blankets and layered clothing
  • Safe indoor heat source only if rated for indoor use
  • Carbon monoxide alarms
  • Fans and shade
  • Heat illness plan

Utilities

  • Know water shutoff
  • Know gas shutoff if instructed
  • Label breaker panel
  • Keep plumbing repair supplies
  • Print utility emergency numbers
Generator warning: Never run a generator indoors, in a garage, or near windows. Carbon monoxide kills quietly and does not care that you cracked a window.

Section 08: Personal Protection and Security

Lawful, layered, disciplined

Protection starts with deterrence, judgment, and discipline.

Home hardening

  • Exterior lighting
  • Quality deadbolts
  • Reinforced strike plates
  • Window locks
  • Security cameras placed for identification
  • Household emergency word

Personal safety

  • Know exits
  • Avoid risky places and times
  • Leave early when things feel wrong
  • Keep phone charged
  • Practice de escalation
  • Do not let ego make decisions

Firearms and ammunition storage

This page does not teach tactics or ammunition manufacturing. It covers safety, legality, storage, and accountability, which is less exciting and vastly more useful.

  • Use secure firearm storage
  • Store ammunition cool and dry
  • Keep ammunition away from children
  • Use original boxes or clear labels
  • Separate damaged or corroded rounds
  • Follow federal, state, and local law

Training and restraint

  • Firearm safety class if you own firearms
  • Range safety
  • State self defense law education
  • Conflict avoidance
  • Trauma medical training
  • Safe storage habits
Hard line: Preparedness is not an excuse for recklessness. Safe storage, legal compliance, restraint, and judgment matter. The grown-up stuff, unfortunately.
CISA: Active Shooter Preparedness CISA: Active Shooter Response Poster Project ChildSafe NSSF: Firearm Safety Resources

Section 09: Communications

When phones fail

Household comms

  • Printed contact sheet
  • Out of area contact
  • Group text plan
  • Rally points
  • Written instructions for children and elders

Radio and alerts

  • NOAA Weather Radio
  • AM/FM battery radio
  • FRS or GMRS radios where lawful
  • Amateur radio if licensed
  • Spare batteries

Information discipline

  • Use official sources
  • Verify before sharing
  • Avoid rumor spirals
  • Screenshot critical alerts
  • Preserve battery life

Section 10: Evacuation, Vehicle, and Go Bags

Leave early, leave smart

Vehicle readiness

  • Fuel above half tank during threat season
  • Jump pack or jumper cables
  • Tire inflator and pressure gauge
  • Blanket, gloves, rain gear
  • Water and snacks
  • Paper map
  • Phone charger and power bank

Go bag

  • Water and compact food
  • First aid and medications
  • Flashlight or headlamp
  • Copies of key documents
  • Cash in small bills
  • Clothes, socks, hygiene supplies
  • Battery bank and cables
Best evacuation rule: Beat the crowd. Leaving early is not weakness. It is logistics.

Section 11: Documents, Money, and Recovery

Recovery starts before loss

Documents

  • IDs and passports
  • Insurance policies
  • Vehicle titles
  • Medical records
  • Property photos and serial numbers

Money

  • Cash in small bills
  • Emergency card
  • Bank contact numbers
  • Insurance claim numbers
  • Backup payment method

Digital backup

  • Encrypted cloud copies
  • Offline USB copy
  • Password manager
  • Recovery codes
  • Printed emergency contacts
Ready.gov: Emergency Financial First Aid Kit FEMA: EFFAK USA.gov: Disaster Financial Help DisasterAssistance.gov

Section 12: Checklists

Print and use
72 Hour Household Checklist
Food Storage Checklist
Home Security Checklist
Storm Readiness Checklist

Section 13: Resource Library

Authoritative links

Training, official guidance, and recovery resources. The useful kind, not the guy yelling in a thumbnail.

Final Note

Useful beats dramatic

Preparedness should make you calmer, not weirder.

The point is to reduce the number of times you are helpless, uninformed, hungry, thirsty, stranded, medically unprepared, or waiting on someone else to solve a problem you could have handled yourself with a little planning and less procrastination.