Choose your scenario
Emergency scenarios
Each guide covers what to do before, during and after, with a printable checklist and links to the official sources. Ordered from the most practical to the most extreme.
Power, water & technology
High preparedness valuePower outageA blackout can cut lighting, cooling, refrigeration, phone charging and medical devices for hours or days.High preparedness valueWater supply failureTap water can stop or become unsafe after a burst main, contamination or a wider emergency.High preparedness valuePhone and internet outageMobile networks, landlines and broadband can fail during storms, power cuts or technical faults, cutting you off from family, news and emergency help.High preparedness valueCyberattacks, GPS and grid failuresCyberattacks, IT failures and severe space weather can knock out power, payments, navigation and online services, and scammers often exploit the confusion.
Natural disasters & extreme weather
Depends on where you liveFloods and heavy rainHeavy rain can cause flash floods with little warning, even outside known flood zones.Depends on where you liveExtreme heatVery hot weather can make anyone ill, and heat stroke can kill.Depends on where you liveSandstorms and dust stormsSand and dust storms can arrive suddenly, cutting visibility on roads and irritating lungs and eyes.Depends on where you liveSevere storms, cyclones and hurricanesThunderstorms, cyclones and hurricanes bring damaging winds, lightning and flooding, and can cut power and water for days.Depends on where you liveEarthquakesEarthquakes strike without warning and can be followed by aftershocks.Depends on where you liveWildfiresWildfires can spread fast, force sudden evacuations and fill the air with harmful smoke far from the flames.
Health, home & road
Sensible basic preparationFirst aid essentialsIn many emergencies the first minutes matter most, before professional help arrives.Sensible basic preparationPandemics and disease outbreaksA pandemic is a disease outbreak that spreads widely and can close schools, workplaces and shops for weeks.Sensible basic preparationHome fireA house or flat fire can fill rooms with smoke in moments, leaving little time to escape.Sensible basic preparationGas leaks and carbon monoxideA gas leak can cause fire or explosion, and carbon monoxide is an invisible, odourless gas that can poison a household without warning.Sensible basic preparationStranded in the desert or car breakdownA breakdown on a busy road or a remote desert track can quickly become dangerous, especially in extreme heat.
Economic crisis & shortages
Evacuation, conflict & unrest
Depends on regional securityEvacuation and leaving home quicklyFire, flooding, a chemical release or other threats can mean leaving home with little warning.Depends on regional securityWar, air raids and shelteringIn a conflict, air raid warnings can come with little notice and services may be disrupted for days.Depends on regional securityCivil unrest and lockdownsProtests, unrest or official curfews can close roads, shops and airports and cut phone or internet services at short notice.
Extreme scenarios
Extreme scenario: prepare calmly, not fearfullyNuclear or radiation emergencyA radiation release from an accident or attack cannot be seen, smelled or felt, so official instructions are your main guide.Extreme scenario: prepare calmly, not fearfullyChemical incidentsA chemical leak from an industrial site, transport accident or deliberate release may mean sealing yourself indoors or leaving the area fast.