Family Survival

Region-aware · Sourced · Plain language

Clear steps that keep your family safe when things go wrong.

Short, sourced guides for water, food, warmth and cooling, shelter, medicine, power, and more, with what matters where you live, from the Northeast to Hawaiʻi. No account needed. Pick your region and each guide shows your local hazards first.

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1 The first 72 hours

Something has gone wrong right now. Power is out, a storm has hit, or the water has stopped. Do these in order.

  1. Get safe from heat or cold first. In extreme heat or cold, temperature is the most urgent danger. Go to one warm room, or the coolest room, and bring the people who need help most. See the Temperature guide.
  2. Never bring fuel-burning equipment inside. A generator runs more than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents⁠[1], and never inside a home or garage⁠[1]. Do not heat with a gas stove or oven.⁠[2]
  3. Use the water you stored, and make other water safe. Boil it (a rolling boil for 1 minute⁠[3]) or treat it with bleach. See the Water guide.
  4. Keep the fridge and freezer shut. Food stays safe 4 hours⁠[4] in a closed refrigerator and 48 hours⁠[4] in a full freezer.
  5. Keep medicines going. Anyone on daily medication needs it every day. An emergency can make it hard to refill a prescription or find an open pharmacy.⁠[5]
  6. Stay informed. A battery or hand-crank NOAA Weather Radio works when phones and the internet do not.⁠[5]
  7. Check on people who live alone, especially older neighbors and relatives. Most people who died of hypothermia in the 2021 Texas winter storm were 60 or older.⁠[6]

2 The first 30 days of preparing

Nothing is wrong yet. This is the time to get ready, calmly and in order, before any rush.

  1. Store water: 1 gallon per person per day⁠[7], a 2-week supply⁠[7] for everyone in the home. In a hot climate, plan on 2 gallons per person per day⁠[8].
  2. Keep a supply of any prescription medicine, plus a basic first-aid kit.⁠[5]
  3. Install carbon monoxide detectors (battery or battery-backup) near every sleeping area, and test the smoke alarms.⁠[1]
  4. Plan for your climate's worst day: a safe way to heat one room in winter, or to stay cool in a summer power outage. See the Temperature guide.
  5. Build food you already eat, a little at a time, and keep a way to cook it outdoors or without power.
  6. Write down a family contact plan on paper: who to call, and one contact outside your region that everyone checks in with.
  7. Pick your region on this site so each guide shows your local hazards first.

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Sources on this page

  1. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics · CDC · checked 2026-09-21
  2. Power Outages · Ready.gov (FEMA) · checked 2026-09-21
  3. How to Make Water Safe in an Emergency · CDC · checked 2026-09-21
  4. Keep Food Safe After a Disaster or Emergency · CDC · checked 2026-09-21
  5. Build a Kit · Ready.gov (FEMA) · checked 2026-09-21
  6. Texas winter storm death toll (DSHS final report) · Insurance Journal, reporting Texas DSHS · checked 2026-09-21
  7. Food and Water in an Emergency · FEMA · checked 2026-09-21
  8. Water · Ready.gov (FEMA) · checked 2026-09-21