When disaster hits, the difference between a bad day and a tragedy is often just the order you do things in. You don't have to be brave or skilled — you have to be calm enough to follow a simple priority: get safe, then decide whether to stay or go, then take care of people and stay reachable. Property comes last and can always be replaced. Here's the order, and the handful of life-safety rules that matter most.
Get to safety first
The immediate danger depends on the disaster. Act on official alerts, but the broadly accepted basics:
- Fire: get out and stay out — don't go back for anything. Stay low under smoke.
- Earthquake: drop, cover, hold on; stay away from windows; afterward check for hazards before moving around.
- Flood / flash flood: move to higher ground. Never walk or drive through floodwater — it's deeper and faster than it looks.
- Tornado / high wind: lowest floor, small interior room, away from windows.
- Gas smell or leak: get everyone out; don't flip switches or light anything; call for help from outside.
Stay or go?
If authorities say evacuate — go, and go early
Don't wait to "see how bad it gets." Roads jam, conditions worsen, and the people who leave early get out safely. Take your go-bag, your people, and pets; leave the rest.
If told to shelter in place — do
Sometimes leaving is more dangerous than staying. Follow the instruction, get to the safest part of your building, and keep listening to official updates on a charged phone or battery radio.
Know two ways out
If you may need to leave, picture two different routes out of your area in case one is blocked, and a place to head for (a relative's, a shelter, anywhere safer).
What to grab (only if it's safe)
If you have a go-bag, take it and leave. If not, this is the short list — but never delay getting to safety to collect things:
- People and pets — everyone accounted for.
- Phone + charger / battery bank.
- Medicines and any essential medical items.
- Documents — or just photos of them on your phone (IDs, insurance, prescriptions).
- Water, some cash, keys, and weather-appropriate clothing.
Reaching people when networks fail
Text, don't call
When networks are overloaded, short text messages often get through when calls won't. Keep messages brief to save battery and bandwidth.
Use one out-of-area contact
Local lines may be down, but a friend or relative far away can act as the hub everyone checks in with. Agree on this person in advance if you can; it's far easier than everyone calling everyone.
Protect your battery, agree a meeting point
Switch to low-power mode, dim the screen, and close apps — your phone is your lifeline. If you're separated and can't connect, a pre-agreed meeting place outside the danger area is the fallback.
If you're staying put (storm or blackout)
- Water: if there's any warning, fill containers (and bathtubs) while it's still running.
- Warmth & light: layer up; prefer flashlights to candles (fire risk, especially with any gas leak).
- Food: keep the fridge and freezer closed — they hold cold for many hours if you don't open them.
- Information: keep one charged way to get official updates; conserve the rest of your battery.
First-hours checklist
In rough order.
The close
In the first hours, you don't need a plan for everything — you need the right order and a few hard rules. Get yourself and your people safe before anything else. Make the stay-or-go decision on what the authorities say, and if you're leaving, leave early and light. Keep one thread of contact alive, and protect your phone like the lifeline it is. And remember the rules that quietly kill the unprepared — floodwater, downed lines, and fumes indoors. Everything else is replaceable. Stay calm, go in order, and you give yourself and the people you love the best possible chance.