Start here · Step-by-step planFirst hour
Start here · Step-by-step plan

First hour

2 min read

Goal: secure the place where you'll spend the next hours and avoid secondary damage (fire, gas, indoor flooding, poisoning).

  1. Treat injuries. Heavy bleeding first (direct pressure or tourniquet), then breathing, burns, fractures. If a life is at risk, call 911 even if they're slow to arrive (chapter 7).
  2. Check utilities. Gas smell: get out and call. Downed wires or sparks: cut the power at the main switch if it's safe. Water leak: shut off the main valve.
  3. If clean water still comes out of the tap, fill everything: the tub (with a bathtub bladder if you have one), jugs, pots. Don't wait for it to be cut off or for a boil notice to arrive.
  4. Charge everything to 100% while there's power: phones, power banks, power station, rechargeable flashlights.
  5. Notify your out-of-state contact with a text (texts often go through when calls don't). Short message: who is there, where, status, what time the next report is.
  6. Turn on the radio and listen for 10 minutes. Write in the log what authorities are asking and what time the next update will be.
  7. Check on your immediate neighbors, especially older adults and people living alone in the complex, if it's safe to go into the hallway.
  8. If there's a blackout, don't open the refrigerator. It holds about 4 hours closed; a full freezer, about 48 hours (24 if half full) (chapter 9).
First hour
What to useWhat it's for in this phase
First-aid kit and tourniquetHemorrhages and impact injuries (chapter 7).
Shutoff valve / main switchAvoid indoor flooding or an electrical fire.
Bathtub bladder and collapsible jugsCapture water while there's still pressure.
Power station and power banksRecharge while the grid is up; afterward, keep the radio and phones going.
AM/FM radioDetailed official instructions.
ExtinguisherSmall fire you can put out with an exit at your back.