Guides

A simple way to work out how much shelf-stable food your household needs, using calories on the label and a daily target.

Keep emergency food fresh by eating it. Official storage times, what best-before dates mean in the US and Canada, and a rotation routine.

Safe ways to eat and cook during an outage: cold meals, gas stove use, outdoor stoves, heating cans, and safe internal temperatures in both countries.

Official time and temperature rules for fridge and freezer food in an outage, with a keep or discard list by food type.

Meal ideas for two weeks without power or refrigeration, mostly no-cook, with a shopping tally and tips for leftovers and water.

Official water figures for the US and Canada, simple totals for 3 to 30 days, and who needs more.

CDC's steps for cleaning containers, what containers to use, where to keep water and how often to replace it.

Boiling, bleach, tablets and filters, using only CDC, FDA and Health Canada figures, and what treatment cannot fix.

How to decide what needs power in an outage, and the differences between power banks, battery stations and generators.

How to run a portable generator without risking carbon monoxide poisoning, shock or fire.

Stretch phone battery during an outage, charge safely, and stay in touch when calls fail.

A basic backup plan if someone at home depends on electric medical equipment, including who to tell before an outage.

Hand washing without taps, a bag or bucket toilet, safe waste storage, dishes and cleaning when water is short.

What to put in a household first aid kit for a stay at home, based on Red Cross and Canadian guidance. Contents only, no dosing.

Practical ways to cope when you are stuck at home for days or weeks, and where to get help in the US and Canada.

A short pointer to the medication section: what to ask your pharmacist or doctor, and where to find official guidance.

Simple, defensive ways to make your home harder to enter during a long outage or emergency, without blocking your own way out.

Safe, simple lighting when the power is out: why flashlights beat candles, and how to use candles if you must.

A simple plan for checking on each other in an emergency, based on PreparedBC's neighbourhood guide.

Smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, escape plans and extinguishers, with the differences between US and Canadian advice.

What papers to copy and how to store them so you can prove who you are and claim insurance after an emergency.

When to shut off water, power or gas, how to find the shut-offs, and why only a professional should turn gas back on.

Keep water pipes from freezing during a cold snap or an outage, and what to do if one freezes.

Sheltering at home is not always the right choice. How to tell when to go, and why official orders come first.

A grab-and-go bag for each person, based on PreparedBC, Red Cross and federal guidance, with what to change for kids and pets.

Evacuation alert, order and rescind explained, what to do at each stage, and how terms differ by place.