Need help right now? Call your local emergency number first (911 in the United States and Canada, 112 across the European Union, 999 in the United Kingdom). See the emergency numbers for other countries.
While help is on the way, go straight to first aid, accidents, or home emergencies.
First aid¶
Stop bleeding, help someone who is choking, give CPR, and treat burns while you wait for help.
Natural disasters¶
What to do in an earthquake, flood, wildfire, or tornado, before, during, and after.
Personal safety¶
Staying safe during civil unrest, an active attacker, or a break in at home.
Home emergencies¶
A gas leak, a burst pipe, or a power outage: safe first steps and when to call a professional.
Work and money¶
Handle sudden job loss, emergency budgeting, credit traps, eviction notices, and utility shutoffs.
Digital and tech¶
SIM swapping, identity theft, bank account breaches, water damaged phones, 3D printer fires, and hard drive failures.
Travel and overseas¶
Lost passports, flight strandings, medical evacuation, embassy assistance, and foreign detentions.
Legal and tenant¶
Illegal lockouts, uninhabitable housing, security deposit withholding, and landlord harassment.
Outdoor and wilderness¶
Getting lost, bear encounters, backcountry hypothermia, desert heat, blizzards, and camping flash floods.
Family and caregiving¶
Swallowed button batteries, elderly falls, missing family members, hospice care, and pet emergencies.
Addiction and recovery¶
Substance dependency, behavioral compulsions, pornography addiction, and supporting a family member.
Remote work¶
Power outages, backup internet, emergency evacuation, and hotel remote work continuity.
Social media¶
Account takeovers, online harassment, doxxing, reporting harmful content, and phishing scams.
Cybersecurity¶
Data breach response, ransomware containment, securing Wi-Fi routers, and 2FA lockout recovery.
School and campus¶
Lockdown procedures, student bullying and hazing, academic integrity defense, and dorm fire safety.
Transportation and driving¶
Brake failures, hydroplaning skid recovery, road rage de-escalation, and keys locked in car.
Elderly care¶
Dementia wandering, nursing home neglect, senior fall recovery, and elder scam defense.
Business emergencies¶
Merchant account freezes, vendor nonpayment cash squeezes, workplace injuries, and business server breaches.
Municipal and utilities¶
Water main breaks, boil water notices, gas pipeline ruptures, regional blackouts, and sewer main overflows.
Daily crises¶
Jury duty summonses, running late for flights or court, towed vehicles, and lost keys.
Gardening and crops¶
Unseasonal crop freezes, garden pest swarms, tomato blights, and drought water rationing.
PC and gaming¶
AIO liquid cooler leaks, CPU overheating, GPU artifacting, and handheld battery swelling.
Van life and off-grid¶
Vehicle residence breakdowns, diesel heater safety, unhoused weather triage, and off-grid solar failures.
Be prepared¶
Build an emergency kit and write a family plan before you need them.
Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones¶
Tropical storms have their own detailed site. For evacuation, supplies, and recovery, visit our sister site hurricane.guide.
Works offline, on any phone¶
Once you have opened this site with a connection, it saves itself on your device. You can keep reading if cell service and power go out. You can also add it to your home screen like an app. See how to use this site offline.
Read it in your language¶
If you only do three things¶
- Save your emergency numbers in your phone and on paper.
- Put together an emergency kit, a little at a time.
- Write a family plan and share it.
... note "About this site" Emergency Guide is general information. It does not replace emergency services, training, or instructions from local officials. Read more about this site.