Immediate rule
Protect life first: evacuate immediate danger, obtain safe shelter and water, secure required medical support, and use a written plan so limited resources are not wasted on lower-priority tasks.
1. SAFETY2. SHELTER3. WATER4. MEDICINE5. RESUPPLY
Quick-reference sequence. Immediate threats, official orders, and professional medical advice take precedence.
Five practical skills
Assess threats and choose a safe response
Rule: The right first action depends on the threat, not a universal fixed survival priority list.
- Name the active hazard: fire, flood, unstable building, dangerous air, extreme temperature, medical emergency, or loss of utilities.
- Follow authority orders to evacuate or shelter. Move from immediate danger before organizing supplies.
- Write a simple decision gate: “Is this place safe for the next several hours?” Check fire/flood forecasts, structural integrity, indoor temperature, and medical power needs.
- Identify the next safe destination and two possible routes; tell a trusted contact what you plan to do.
- Make check-ins at planned intervals and revise choices when new official warnings arrive.
Build a household supply and water inventory
Rule: Keep enough safe supplies to function for several days without outside service.
- As a US preparedness baseline, allow roughly 3.8 liters / 1 US gallon of water per person per day for drinking and basic hygiene for several days; heat, exertion, illness and local advice may require more.
- Store ready-to-eat shelf-stable food, a manual can opener, first-aid items, sanitation supplies, headlamps, a power bank, batteries and a battery radio.
- Write down what you actually have: water volume, meals, medication doses, battery capacity and transport requirements.
- Protect stored water and food from heat, chemicals, pests, and floodwater; rotate and inspect regularly.
- Add specialized supplies for mobility devices, infant feeding, allergies, service animals and pets.
Practical note
Three days is an initial preparedness target, not a guarantee of sufficient supplies for every disaster. Longer disruptions require extra stored resources and a resupply plan.
Plan for people, pets, medicines and documents
Rule: Critical personal dependencies may fail before ordinary supplies run out.
- Keep a printed contact sheet, medical summary, prescription list and a safe backup of identity/insurance documents.
- Plan how powered medical devices, refrigerated medications and mobility equipment will function during extended outages; confirm plans with clinicians/providers.
- Choose two reachable meeting points plus a contact outside your area. Include accessible routes, transport options, and pet-friendly destinations.
- Identify who can check on isolated neighbors without entering unsafe scenes. Agree how to request assistance early.
- Use waterproof bags for essential papers; keep secure digital backups where appropriate.
Budget supplies and check conditions daily
Rule: Use resource accounting to avoid running short before help or safe resupply arrives.
- Establish water, food, medication, and power inventories with dates and daily check-in intervals.
- Reserve safe drinking water first. Do not ration water to dangerous levels; find safer water or relocate if needed.
- Match food portions to actual needs and conditions; prioritize perishable foods only while they are still safe and properly refrigerated.
- Conserve battery power for communications and medically necessary equipment; charge when reliable and safe power is available.
- Write a clear resupply or relocation trigger such as low potable water, lost medical support, dangerous indoor temperatures or fresh evacuation alerts.
Rehearse decisions and recover safely
Rule: Practice exposes shortages before they become emergencies.
- Run a household 20-minute “leave now” drill and a separate short no-power exercise without disabling safety systems.
- Test offline maps, spare chargers, radio batteries and access to emergency numbers on paper.
- Review emergency plans every season and after changes in household needs, medications or mobility.
- After an incident, verify food/water safety and building utilities before restoring routines or discarding evidence relevant to insurance.
- Record what did and did not work, replace used equipment, and update the inventory.
Practice and preparation
- Print a one-page household response plan with two destinations.
- Inventory water, food, medication and flashlight batteries in a table.
- Run a 20-minute go-bag drill without leaving the property.
- Check and refresh your supplies every six months.
Local rules and real emergencies
Use this as a training reference. Follow official incident alerts, regional law, manufacturer instructions, and qualified professional guidance. Do not attempt unfamiliar high-risk activities while already in danger.
Sources and further reading:
- Ready.gov — Prepare, Plan, Stay Informed
- Ready.gov — Build an Emergency Kit
- Ready.gov — Family Communication Plan
- FoodSafety.gov — Food Safety in an Emergency
Official guidance may vary by country and can be revised; verify local updates before acting.