0–10 Minutes: Do This First

• Read the alert carefully: watch, warning, advisory, or emergency.
• Identify the hazard: tornado, severe thunderstorm, flash flood, winter storm, extreme heat, high wind, or other threat.
• If it is a warning, move to your safest location immediately.
• Turn on at least two alert sources: phone alerts, NOAA Weather Radio, local radio, or trusted local news.
• Charge phones, power banks, radios, and medical devices if time allows.
• Bring pets, medications, shoes, flashlights, and basic first aid into your shelter area.
• Tell the household the trigger: “If this becomes a warning, we move now.”

1 Hour: Stabilize Your Household

• Confirm everyone knows the shelter location and backup location.
• Stage water, flashlights, first aid, radio, chargers, and essential medications.
• Move vehicles under cover only if it is safe and time allows.
• Secure loose outdoor items before wind arrives.
• Check on children, seniors, pets, neighbors, and anyone with mobility or medical needs.
• Review travel plans and cancel unnecessary trips.
• Keep shoes and weather-appropriate clothing near your shelter area.

24 Hours: Prepare for Disruption

• Top off household water and verify stored water is accessible.
• Prepare no-cook or low-cook meals in case power fails.
• Charge all power banks and backup batteries.
• Refill critical prescriptions if a prolonged disruption is likely and time allows.
• Check fuel, cash, important documents, and vehicle readiness if evacuation could become necessary.
• Review your family communication plan and out-of-area contact.
• Keep following local updates until the threat has passed.

If a Watch Is Issued

• Stay calm and use the lead time.
• Charge devices and backup power.
• Stage your emergency kit, first aid kit, shoes, flashlight, and radio.
• Review your shelter location and household roles.
• Cancel unnecessary travel if conditions are likely to worsen.

If a Warning Is Issued

• Stop nonessential activity immediately.
• Move to the correct protective location for the hazard.
• Do not wait to see the storm, floodwater, hail, or wind.
• Keep alerts active until the warning expires or officials give the all-clear.
• After the warning, check for injuries, hazards, power issues, and damage before moving around.

If an Advisory Is Issued

• Adjust travel, outdoor plans, and errands.
• Check roads and local conditions before leaving.
• Keep supplies topped off if conditions may worsen.
• Watch for upgrades to a watch or warning.

At Home with Family

• Assign one person to monitor alerts.
• Move children and pets before conditions worsen.
• Keep shoes, flashlights, and first aid near the shelter area.

Avoid: waiting for sirens only, scattering supplies around the house, or arguing about where to shelter during the warning.

Apartment or Condo

• Use an interior hallway, bathroom, or lowest accessible level if no basement exists.
• Know whether your building has a designated shelter area.
• Keep a compact emergency kit easy to grab.

Avoid: elevators during severe weather or outages, exterior balconies, and window-lined rooms.

Vehicle or Commute

• Do not drive into flooded roads.
• Pull over safely if visibility collapses from dust, rain, snow, or hail.
• Know a few sturdy shelter options along common routes.

Avoid: trying to outrun tornadoes, crossing barricades, or trusting that familiar roads are safe under water.

Workplace or School

• Follow the building’s emergency plan.
• Move calmly to designated shelter areas.
• Account for coworkers, students, visitors, and mobility-limited people.

Avoid: large open rooms, windows, and last-minute outdoor movement during warnings.

Basic: Minimum Readiness

• Phone alerts — gives immediate warning access — keep Wireless Emergency Alerts enabled — charge before storms and keep the phone nearby overnight.
• Flashlight or headlamp — solves darkness during outages — choose reliable lights with spare batteries or rechargeable backup — store one near the shelter area.
• First aid kit — handles minor cuts, scrapes, and basic injury needs — choose a stocked kit sized for your household — keep it labeled and easy to reach.
• Water and ready-to-eat food — covers short disruptions — choose shelf-stable items your household actually uses — store them in a cool, accessible location.

Better: Household Weather Plan

• NOAA Weather Radio — gives a backup alert source — choose a battery-powered or hand-crank option if possible — keep it in the bedroom or shelter area.
• Power bank — keeps phones and small devices working — choose capacity based on household phones and medical needs — recharge after every use.
• Emergency kit — organizes light, first aid, food, water, and tools — choose a kit sized for your people and setting — stage it where you can reach it quickly.
• Document pouch — keeps IDs and critical papers together — use copies where appropriate — store with your go-bag or emergency binder.

Best: Longer Disruptions

• 72-hour household kit — covers the first gap before normal services return — size it by people, pets, and special needs — inspect it seasonally.
• Vehicle emergency kit — supports roadside delays and travel disruptions — include light, warmth, water, food, first aid, and communication basics — keep it in the vehicle year-round.
• Power outage kit — reduces stress when storms knock out electricity — include lighting, charging, radio, and safe backup power options — test lights and batteries monthly.
• Ready binder — prevents confusion under stress — include contacts, insurance, medical notes, alert sources, and meeting points — print and update after each season.