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Latest Threats Grid-down Stockpiling Defense Bug-out Comms Medical Family plan

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Every guide on the site, newest first, filed by section.

Threats and scenarios

Everything in Threats and scenarios

Grid-down living

Everything in Grid-down living

Stockpiling

Everything in Stockpiling

Bug-out and evacuation

Everything in Bug-out and evacuation

Communications

Everything in Communications

FRS vs GMRS vs ham radio for your family

FRS needs no license and reaches a mile or two. GMRS needs one inexpensive license with no exam and covers your relatives. Ham takes an exam and reaches farthest.

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A foggy road at dusk lined with utility poles and sagging power lines, a single streetlight glowing Threats and scenarios What an EMP, a geomagnetic storm, a cascading blackout, a currency or banking crisis, civil unrest or a pandemic would actually break, in what order, and which preparations cover several of them at once. A lit metal lantern beside a heavy knit blanket in a dark room, more candle lanterns glowing in the background Grid-down living How to keep a house livable with the power out for days or weeks: light, heat and cooling, refrigeration, water pressure, sanitation, generators and fume safety. Bottled water, bagged pasta and stacks of unlabeled tin cans packed into clear plastic storage bins Stockpiling Building a crisis stockpile at home: water, food, medicine, fuel, batteries, cash and hygiene, how much per person per day, where to keep it in a normal house and how to rotate it. The edge of an open door showing its lock, latch bolt and a ring of keys hanging from the cylinder Home defense and security Securing a family home when police response is slow or absent: doors, windows, lighting and layers, operational security, neighborhood cooperation, safe-room planning and the legal limits of self-defense. A packed white SUV with its rear hatch open, stopped alone on a gravel road through dry hills Bug-out and evacuation Deciding between bugging in and bugging out, and planning the trip: grab bags for the car and for each person, vehicles and fuel, routes and maps, rally points and destinations. A handheld two-way radio lying on a scratched green tabletop in low golden light Communications Staying informed and in touch when phones and the internet fail: alert receivers, AM/FM and shortwave, FRS, GMRS and amateur radio, scanners, licensing, and a written household comms plan. A bottle of antiseptic, medical tape, a rolled gauze bandage and red-handled scissors on a dark surface Medical when help is delayed Handling injuries and illness when emergency services are delayed: bleeding control and trauma kits, stocking medications, chronic conditions, power-dependent medical devices, hygiene and disease prevention. An open notebook with a hand-drawn planning diagram next to a smartphone on a rough wooden table Family emergency plans Writing and practicing a household plan for emergencies: roles, rally points, children away from home, older parents, pets, documents and money, drills, and working with neighbors.

Where to begin

New to preparing? Read grid-down living first, because a long power outage is the emergency most American households will actually face, and almost everything else on this site builds on it. Then move to stockpiling for the supplies and the family plan for the paperwork. Each section page lists its own articles, and all topics shows the whole map on one screen.