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

GuideWes DunbarNov 8, 20265 min

Know Your Medication's Number Before the Lights Go Out

Most people reach for a cooler of ice when the power dies. Done wrong, that can ruin the very medicine you're trying to save.

One page that speaks for you when your doctor can't

From the Preparedness archive

Older stories

GuideNina CastellanOct 11, 20265 min

Four hours, forty-eight hours, forty degrees

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

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

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Boil It, Filter It or Drop a Tablet In It

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Day Nine Is the Hard One in a Two Week Outage

GuideSam OrtizSep 23, 20266 min

What Your Parents Need Before The Next Three-Day Outage

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

What a Week Without Power Actually Takes

Preparedness on video

Worth an hour of your evening

From channels we rate. Plays on YouTube.

Lowe's Home ImprovementJul 12

How To Use an Emergency Generator | Severe Weather Guide

Consumer ReportsAug 15

How to Run Your Portable Generator Safely | Consumer Reports

DIYHIPChicksSep 24

Portable Generator Safety - Tips every homeowner needs to know

Texas Department of Insurance (TDI)Jun 1

How to safely use a portable generator

Riverside Homestead Apr 18

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

Survival Know HowMar 26

11 Items FEMA Wants You To Keep In Your Home

Keri PrattJun 1

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

WahJan 30

Packing an Emergency Evacuation Bag (just in case)

The Family FudgeSep 24

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

ABC7Oct 16

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

Zach Of All TradesDec 23

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

The Stay ReadySep 4

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

The Family FudgeOct 6

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

WhatsUpMomsOct 12

TIPS | Emergency Planning for Family

DIY NetworkMar 26

How to Make a Family Emergency Evacuation Pack - DIY Network

Rogue PreparednessJul 6

How to Make a Family Emergency Plan That Works!

Preparedness quizzes

Quiz yourself, then your friends

All quizzes

GuideRay OkonkwoOct 11, 20264 min

Build the 72-hour kit or buy one? It's closer than you think

A family of four, a $25 hour, and a trip to the store you'll make twice. The driveway math on a 72-hour kit, with every number yours to swap.

StoryWes DunbarOct 11, 20266 min

Nobody has improved the hand-crank can opener

It has two moving parts, needs no power, and still beats every gadget that tried to replace it. Here's how to buy one that lasts.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideCal BrennanOct 11, 20265 min

Buy one kind of first aid kit, then buy it twice

The house and the car need the same bag with a few different things inside. Here's the spec profile, the upsells to skip, and what to add yourself.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

5 min read

You can't smell carbon monoxide, so put an alarm on every floor

Carbon monoxide gives no smell and no warning, and the worst nights are the ones when the power's out. Buy the alarm that still works then.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideDean ShawOct 11, 20266 min

The camp stove that still lights in fifteen years

A good camp stove is simple, fixable and fed by fuel you can actually find. Here's how to judge one before you buy, and where it can safely run.

GuideDean ShawOct 11, 20266 min

The water jug you can lift when the tap runs dry

A container that cracks, leaks at the spigot or weighs more than you can carry is just a way to feel ready. Here's what to inspect before you fill anything.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

PartnerDude.com

GuideDean ShawOct 11, 20264 min

The cornhole boards stay home

One man needs two and a half hours to pack the car for an evacuation and still forgets the medication. Another needs twenty minutes. Same car, same storm.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideSam OrtizOct 11, 20264 min

The first night without power, done wrong and done right

One outage, two men, and the dead flashlight batteries that separate them. The veteran's moves are all real, and you can set them up this week.

GuideNina CastellanOct 11, 20265 min

Open the emergency kit before the storm does

A real checkup for the family emergency kit: what expires, what leaks, what no longer fits, and the one thing you'll drive back to the store for.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Find your water main before the basement does

A burst pipe gives you about a minute to remember where the valve is. Find it on a dry Saturday instead, and learn which way it turns.

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

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideWes DunbarOct 11, 20266 min

Pick the warm room by where the trees are

Ice brings down limbs and power lines, and the cold comes after. Choose your room, your heat and your no-go zones before it freezes.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideNina CastellanOct 11, 20266 min

The go-bag your baby outgrows every couple of months

A newborn turns every outage rule into a clock. Here's how to feed a baby without power and keep a bag that still fits next month.

GuideWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

The storm's over. The hazards in your yard aren't.

Live wires, a gas smell, a basement full of water. What the utilities and FEMA say to do, in the order you'll meet them.

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

PartnerNames.com

GuideRay OkonkwoOct 11, 20266 min

Take the pictures before you touch the mess

The first hour back in a storm-damaged house shapes the whole insurance claim. Safety first, then the camera, then the phone call.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

5 min

You've got five minutes. Grab these, in this order.

6 min

Find out how long the device runs when the power dies

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideCal BrennanOct 11, 20265 min

The free course that teaches you when not to rush in

CERT is about twenty hours of free training from your local emergency office. The most useful thing it teaches is restraint.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

6 min read

Know your street before the storm does

After a storm, the first help on your block is the family next door. A one-page skills list and a simple check-in plan get that help organized before you need it.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

Older articles

Older Preparedness stories

Preparedness

Know Your Medication's Number Before the Lights Go Out

The rotten-egg smell is your alarm, and it can fail

Build your parent's kit for the day you can't get there

Do the watt-hour math before you buy any backup power

Leaving the house in thirty minutes, room by room

One page that speaks for you when your doctor can't

From the Preparedness archive

Four hours, forty-eight hours, forty degrees

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

Boil It, Filter It or Drop a Tablet In It

Day Nine Is the Hard One in a Two Week Outage

What Your Parents Need Before The Next Three-Day Outage

What a Week Without Power Actually Takes

Worth an hour of your evening

Quiz yourself, then your friends

Build the 72-hour kit or buy one? It's closer than you think

Nobody has improved the hand-crank can opener

Buy one kind of first aid kit, then buy it twice

You can't smell carbon monoxide, so put an alarm on every floor

The camp stove that still lights in fifteen years

The water jug you can lift when the tap runs dry

The cornhole boards stay home

The first night without power, done wrong and done right

Open the emergency kit before the storm does

Find your water main before the basement does

Pick the warm room by where the trees are

The go-bag your baby outgrows every couple of months

The storm's over. The hazards in your yard aren't.

Take the pictures before you touch the mess

You've got five minutes. Grab these, in this order.

Find out how long the device runs when the power dies

The free course that teaches you when not to rush in

Know your street before the storm does