01THE ESSENTIALS
Kits & carrying
The right bag is the one you can actually carry.
A practical way to choose between a small backpack, a larger pack, and a vehicle duffel—without confusing capacity with readiness.
FIELD GUIDE · 3 MIN
GOBAG / THE FIELD JOURNAL
Prepare with
perspective.
Good gear is useful.
Knowing what to do comes first.
Clear advice for the decisions that matter: what to carry, where to go, who needs help, and how to keep the plan current. Start with a guide, then explore recent events through a preparedness lens.
01 / BUILD THE FOUNDATION
The essentials.
Six guides to turn a bag of supplies into a plan you can use.
02THE ESSENTIALS
Water & supplies
Emergency water: store it first. Treat it carefully.
Bottles, household reserves, filters, and tablets solve different problems. Here is how to build a water plan without asking one tool to do everything.
FIELD GUIDE · 3 MIN
03THE ESSENTIALS
Power & communication
Your first evening without power.
A room-by-room plan for light, information, charging, and the point at which staying home stops making sense.
FIELD GUIDE · 3 MIN
04THE ESSENTIALS
Planning
An evacuation plan that fits on one page.
Make the decisions you would rather not improvise: where to go, who needs help, what to take, and how to reconnect.
FIELD GUIDE · 3 MIN
05THE ESSENTIALS
Pets
Your pet needs a departure plan, too.
From carriers to medication records, build a kit around your actual animal—not a generic shopping list.
FIELD GUIDE · 3 MIN
06THE ESSENTIALS
Climate & maintenance
Same bag. Different season.
A deliberate seasonal reset for clothing, water, batteries, and the route you might actually travel.
FIELD GUIDE · 3 MIN
02 / RECENT EVENTS, USEFUL CONTEXT
In the field.
Dated reporting, practical takeaways, and links to the official sources. Published October 15, 2026.
01IN CONTEXT
Storms & outages
Isaias and the case for an outage kit you can find in the dark.
NOAA’s October storm-resource page is a reminder to prepare the information path as carefully as the gear.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
02IN CONTEXT
Floods & travel
Simon’s rainfall warning: read beyond the wind category.
An October 10 forecast for southwestern Mexico illustrates why travel decisions need a flood plan as well as a storm headline.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
03IN CONTEXT
Earthquakes & drills
ShakeOut 2026: let the drill change something at home.
Today’s earthquake exercise is a useful starting point. The next ten minutes can make your household plan easier to use.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
04IN CONTEXT
Winter & forecasts
A warmer winter outlook is not a winter-free forecast.
NOAA’s new seasonal outlook is a reason to check your kit—not a reason to remove the cold-weather layer.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
05IN CONTEXT
Wildfire & evacuation
Santa Ana winds: do the packing before the decision gets urgent.
California’s October 14 warning connects fire weather, possible power shutoffs, and the household decisions worth making early.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
06IN CONTEXT
Wildfire & outdoors
Michigan’s October fires: readiness is not a Western-only habit.
The Upper Peninsula’s recent fire-weather summary is a reminder to check local conditions before familiar outdoor routines.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
07IN CONTEXT
Recovery & records
West Virginia’s new notice highlights the other kit: your records.
An October recovery announcement for August flooding is a practical reminder to organize documents before they become difficult to replace.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
08IN CONTEXT
Storms & planning
Ohio’s October declaration: one household, more than one hazard.
A notice covering storms, tornadoes, flooding, and landslides shows why “grab the bag and leave” cannot be the whole plan.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
09IN CONTEXT
Travel & official alerts
Kīlauea’s October update: read the place, time, and action.
A dated USGS update offers a useful lesson in understanding hazard information without turning it into a blanket alarm.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
10IN CONTEXT
Wildfire & information
National fire preparedness fell to Level 1. Local warnings still come first.
NIFC’s October 14 national update and California’s concurrent wind preparations answer different questions.
October 15, 2026 · 2 MIN
03 / FICTIONAL STORIES. PRACTICAL PLANS.
What if?
Ten imagined disruptions, from an AI-assisted grid attack to weeks away from home. Explore what changes after the first day.
01FICTIONAL SCENARIO
Power & cyber risk
The grid goes dark. The cause is an AI-assisted attack.
A seven-day blackout exercise: light is the easy part. Water, communication, and knowing when to leave take more thought.
SCENARIO 01 / 10 · 3 MIN
02FICTIONAL SCENARIO
Water & infrastructure
The tap runs dry. Then the advisory changes.
A ten-day water disruption exercise, where the first question is what the official notice actually allows you to use.
SCENARIO 02 / 10 · 3 MIN
03FICTIONAL SCENARIO
Communication & reunification
No signal. No map. No way to say you are coming.
A three-day communications blackout exercise for the family that normally coordinates everything by phone.
SCENARIO 03 / 10 · 3 MIN