Preparedness

Storms, outages, emergencies. Calm, practical readiness for the household, without the paranoia.

The BRO Survival & Preparedness GuideThe printable family manual: a kit and go-bag builder, water and food calculators, the core skills and a family emergency plan.Get ready, calmly

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Size Your Battery Bank to the Fridge, Not the Box Art

Solar generators are great at some household loads and useless at others. Learn which is which before the lights go out, not during.

Eat the Oldest Can First and Your Prep Never Expires

From the Preparedness archive

Older stories

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The Hurricane Checklist You Should Start in May

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The Go Bag and the Thirty Minute Wildfire Plan

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Build a Car Emergency Kit That Works in January and July

GuideCal Brennan23 Sept 20266 min

First Aid Skills Every Adult In Your House Should Have

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

What a Week Without Power Actually Takes

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Twenty Feet From the House and Other Generator Rules

Preparedness on video

Worth an hour of your evening

From channels we rate. Plays on YouTube or TikTok.

Lowe's Home Improvement12 Jul

How To Use an Emergency Generator | Severe Weather Guide

Consumer Reports15 Aug

How to Run Your Portable Generator Safely | Consumer Reports

DIYHIPChicks24 Sept

Portable Generator Safety - Tips every homeowner needs to know

Texas Department of Insurance (TDI)1 Jun

How to safely use a portable generator

Riverside Homestead 18 Apr

10 Items FEMA Says To Add To Your Emergency Kit | Emergency Preparedness

Survival Know How26 Mar

11 Items FEMA Wants You To Keep In Your Home

Keri Pratt1 Jun

20 ITEMS You NEED in a 72 hour Survival Kit! A Look INSIDE our ACTUAL bags!

Wah30 Jan

Packing an Emergency Evacuation Bag (just in case)

The Family Fudge24 Sept

30 Items We Keep In Our 72 HOUR “BUG OUT” BAGS

ABC716 Oct

Here are the key items to keep in your earthquake emergency kit

Zach Of All Trades23 Dec

FEMA's 13 MUST-HAVE Items for Winter 2025/2026 - Emergency Preparedness Checklist

The Stay Ready4 Sept

How to Build a Bug Out Bag for Family 2024 (PREPARE NOW)

The Family Fudge6 Oct

What's INSIDE Our 72 HOUR EMERGENCY "BUG OUT" Bags? (Prepping for a HURRICANE)

WhatsUpMoms12 Oct

TIPS | Emergency Planning for Family

DIY Network26 Mar

How to Make a Family Emergency Evacuation Pack - DIY Network

Rogue Preparedness6 Jul

How to Make a Family Emergency Plan That Works!

TikTok@entropysurvival

Build your 72-hour Emergency Kit TODAY! Here’s an overview of the essentials to supply a family of four over 3 days… #emergencykit #disasterpreparedness #survival #family #reel

TikTok@kelseymayvandy

Day 5: Build Your 72-Hour Kit 🎒 If the power went out tonight, would you have everything you need to get through the first 72 hours? Today’s challenge is to build or check your 72-hour kit. This is your grab-and-go emergency bag with the essentials you need if you lose power, need to shelter in pla

TikTok@diamond_lawyers

Most buyers calculate running watts but forget starting watts - a dangerous oversight! Appliances with motors (fridges, pumps, AC units) need 2-3x MORE power to start than to run. The problem? Your generator can't handle essential appliances when you need them most, and insufficient power damages bo

TikTok@californiastatelibrary

September is Preparedness Month and we’re here to help with information about emergency kits! Check out more info at ready.ca.gov and ready.gov/kit

Preparedness quizzes

Quiz yourself, then your friends

All quizzes

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20265 min

The Rule of Threes Tells You What to Fix First

Three minutes without air, three hours without shelter, three days without water, three weeks without food. The order is the whole point.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Boil It, Filter It or Drop a Tablet In It

Three ways to make backcountry water safe, what each one misses, and the mistake that ruins a filter without leaving a mark.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The Bag in Your Desk for the Day the Roads Close

Fourteen miles is a five-hour walk in good shoes and a very long night in the ones you wore to the office.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

PartnerIvermectin.com

6 min read

Six Survivors and the One Decision That Kept Them Alive

None of them were the toughest person on the mountain. They made one good call, usually early, usually boring, and it held.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Three Blasts, Then Wait

A whistle, a mirror and a fire can do what a dead phone can't. Learn the signals rescuers are actually trained to look for.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

A Tarp, a Hundred Feet of Paracord and Three Knots

It won't replace a real shelter, but it'll keep your people and your gear dry the night the roof opens up. Learn it in the backyard first.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

PartnerDude.com

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Wet Wood Still Burns If You Split It Open

Rain doesn't stop a fire. Soaked tinder, soggy ground and bad technique do. Here's how to get flame when everything outside is dripping.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Teach Your Kids to Hug a Tree Before They Ever Need To

Three rules a six-year-old can remember, and a pocket kit that costs less than a pizza, for the day one of your kids walks the wrong way.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Day Nine Is the Hard One in a Two Week Outage

The first 72 hours run on adrenaline and a kit. The other eleven days run on a schedule, a fuel budget and clean socks.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Stay With the Car, Clear the Exhaust, Wait It Out

The blizzard doesn't kill you in the driver's seat. It kills you two hundred yards from the door, walking toward a light that was three miles off.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideSam Ortiz23 Sept 20265 min

Drill Your Kids for Emergencies Without Giving Them Nightmares

A four-minute drill, a nine-word script and the phrases that keep a scared kid calm — what actually works with children under twelve.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Crate the Cat Before the Wind Picks Up

The pet plan that works is the one you build on a quiet Tuesday: carrier, records, microchip, and a hotel two counties inland that takes dogs.

GuideNina Castellan23 Sept 20266 min

What to Do Before the Power Goes Out When You Live Alone

One pair of hands changes the math on every emergency plan. Here's the version that actually works for a household of one.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

GuideRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Your Emergency Fund and the Cash You Can Actually Reach

When the card readers go down, the guy with twenties in his pocket eats dinner. Here's how to set up both halves of household money readiness.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

6 min

Flood Prep Starts Thirty Days Before the Rain

6 min

What Your Parents Need Before The Next Three-Day Outage

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

GuideSam Ortiz23 Sept 20266 min

Build a Family Emergency Plan Your Kids Can Recite

The binder in the closet isn't a plan. Here's how to get every person in your house to the same information without a phone.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

6 min read

Paper Chars at 451 Degrees. Your Safe Should Know That.

A weekend project that turns a lost house into a paperwork inconvenience: what to scan, what to buy, and where the cheap fire safe fails.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

Older articles

Older Preparedness stories

Preparedness

Size Your Battery Bank to the Fridge, Not the Box Art

Nothing That Burns Fuel Comes Inside the House

Heat One Room and Cook Outside When the Power Quits

Pressure Can the Green Beans, Water Bath the Jam

Rice, Beans and a Mylar Bag That Actually Seals

Eat the Oldest Can First and Your Prep Never Expires

From the Preparedness archive

The Hurricane Checklist You Should Start in May

The Go Bag and the Thirty Minute Wildfire Plan

Build a Car Emergency Kit That Works in January and July

First Aid Skills Every Adult In Your House Should Have

What a Week Without Power Actually Takes

Twenty Feet From the House and Other Generator Rules

Worth an hour of your evening

Quiz yourself, then your friends

The Rule of Threes Tells You What to Fix First

Boil It, Filter It or Drop a Tablet In It

The Bag in Your Desk for the Day the Roads Close

Six Survivors and the One Decision That Kept Them Alive

Three Blasts, Then Wait

A Tarp, a Hundred Feet of Paracord and Three Knots

Wet Wood Still Burns If You Split It Open

Teach Your Kids to Hug a Tree Before They Ever Need To

Day Nine Is the Hard One in a Two Week Outage

Stay With the Car, Clear the Exhaust, Wait It Out

Drill Your Kids for Emergencies Without Giving Them Nightmares

Crate the Cat Before the Wind Picks Up

What to Do Before the Power Goes Out When You Live Alone

Your Emergency Fund and the Cash You Can Actually Reach

Flood Prep Starts Thirty Days Before the Rain

What Your Parents Need Before The Next Three-Day Outage

Build a Family Emergency Plan Your Kids Can Recite

Paper Chars at 451 Degrees. Your Safe Should Know That.