DISASTER READY • THE FIRST HOURS & DAYS AFTER DISASTER
Stabilize the Household One Priority at a Time
After the immediate protective action, conditions may remain uncertain. Check safety, account for people, verify information and support the household’s essential needs. Reassess as hazards, resources and instructions change rather than assuming the danger has passed.
Knowledge first. Skills second. Gear third.
PREPARED → CAPABLE → FIELD READY
Why the First Hours & Days Matter
The end of an immediate event does not guarantee a safe building, usable water, functioning utilities or a clear route. Household needs continue while services and assistance may be disrupted.
A practical stabilization plan helps people focus on the most consequential needs, coordinate support and avoid preventable secondary problems.
Protect life. Verify conditions. Support essentials. Reassess.
What You’ll Learn
Move from immediate protection into an organized, adaptable household response.
CHECK CONTINUING SAFETY
Recognize that hazards can remain or develop after the initial event.
ACCOUNT FOR PEOPLE
Use the household contact plan to establish status, assistance needs and the next check-in.
VERIFY ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS
Check reliable information about shelter, water, utilities, access and available help.
PRIORITIZE HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT
Connect available resources to the people and essential functions that need them first.
REASSESS & TRANSITION
Track changes, record gaps and adjust the plan as stabilization moves toward recovery.
LEVEL I — PREPARED
I Know It.
Prepared means you understand why household priorities must be checked again after immediate protective action.
KNOW THE CONTINUING HAZARDS
Identify concerns such as damaged structures, utilities, contaminated supplies and changing weather.
KNOW THE STATUS PLAN
Explain how household members report their location, condition and urgent support needs.
KNOW THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Identify what must continue and which people depend on timely assistance or equipment.
KNOW THE INFORMATION SOURCES
Locate official updates, service advisories and appropriate assistance contacts.
Prepared means you can explain what must be verified before the household relies on it.
LEVEL II — CAPABLE
I Can Do It.
Capability means you can use a safe scenario to organize the household’s first decisions and adapt to a changed condition.
BUILD A STATUS PICTURE
Record who is accounted for, what is known and which important facts remain unconfirmed.
SET THE FIRST PRIORITIES
Choose the next practical actions based on immediate safety and essential household needs.
COORDINATE SUPPORT
Assign understandable roles, use mock check-ins and connect supplies to the tasks they support.
REASSESS A CHANGE
Respond to a simulated water advisory, failed backup or unsuitable shelter arrangement.
Capability check: Can you explain the priorities, the evidence behind them and the next condition that needs checking?
Use announced tabletop exercises and safe demonstrations. Do not enter damaged structures, floodwater or restricted areas for practice. After a real event, follow local return and utility guidance; keep away from downed lines and suspected gas leaks. Do not operate wet electrical equipment or switches while standing in water. Seek qualified inspection where safety is uncertain. Follow official food and water advisories and do not rely on appearance or smell to establish food safety. Request emergency help for immediate danger or serious injury; provide care only within your training.
LEVEL III — FIELD READY
I’ve Proven It.
Field Ready integrates stabilization decisions with the complete Disaster Ready challenge. Demonstrate coordination and adaptation within the applicable evaluation requirements.
VERIFY BEFORE RELYING
Separate confirmed scenario information from assumptions about buildings, services and resources.
SUPPORT PRIORITY NEEDS
Show how people, supplies and backup methods maintain essential household functions.
ADAPT TO A DISRUPTION
Respond to a simulated depleted resource, changed instruction or unavailable helper.
REVIEW & PLAN FORWARD
Record unresolved needs, successful actions and corrections for the next phase.
FIELD READY — DISASTER READY
Use the applicable Preparedness Passport challenge and evaluation requirements. Informal practice does not independently award Field Ready status.
Gear That Supports the Capability
Use resources that help the household assess, communicate and maintain essentials safely.
ACCESSIBLE HOUSEHOLD PLAN
Keep contacts, roles, support needs and alternate arrangements available in printed or offline form.
COMMUNICATION & LIGHTING
Prepare dependable information access, battery lighting and compatible backup power.
ESSENTIAL SUPPORT SUPPLIES
Organize suitable water, food, hygiene, weather protection and personal support resources around household needs.
STATUS & RESOURCE RECORDS
Use a simple log to track updates, resource use, assistance requests and the next review.
Know your stabilization system:
- Is everyone accounted for, and who needs help?
- Is the current location suitable to remain in?
- What information is confirmed and what is assumed?
- Which essential function is least supported?
- What supply or power dependency will fail first?
- Who has agreed to help?
- What change would trigger relocation or urgent assistance?
- When will the household reassess?
Knowledge first. Skills second. Gear third.
Tools & Resources
Follow the Stabilization learning path: Learn → Watch → Reference → Practice → Validate. Begin with the guidance available here and current official instructions; supporting materials will be linked as they are released.
1. Learn
Review the learning topics and Prepared knowledge requirements on this page. Public access to the Post-Disaster Stabilization manual and workbook is coming soon.
2. Watch
Disaster Ready video series — Coming Soon. Planned lessons cover household stabilization, changing information and maintaining essential functions. Links will be added when published.
3. Reference
Field Guide, First Hours & Days cards and Household Status & Resource Tools — Coming Soon. Public downloads are not yet available. Visit the Resources hub for learning paths and current material status.
For official safety references, see CDC guidance on returning home after a natural disaster and CDC disaster cleanup safety. Local conditions and instructions determine what is safe in an actual event.
4. Practice
Review the Capable skills and begin with the Household Priorities Planning Check below. A separate post-disaster stabilization exercise is in development.
5. Validate
Review the Preparedness Passport achievement levels and applicable evaluation requirements. Informal practice or completing this planning check does not by itself award Field Ready.
YOUR NEXT BEST IMPROVEMENT
Strengthen the Weakest Part of Your Stabilization Plan
Choose one uncertainty that could delay essential support after an event. Improve it and rehearse the next decision.
Choose one:
- Prepare a simple household status checklist.
- Save important contacts offline.
- Identify the first essential function needing a backup.
- Make priority supplies easier to reach.
- Confirm assistance for someone with support needs.
- Record official sources for water and utility advisories.
- Prepare a basic resource-use log.
- Agree on a check-in and reassessment routine.
- Discuss when the current shelter would become unsuitable.
- Run a short tabletop exercise with a failed resource.
Stabilization improves when the household knows its needs, verifies its options and adjusts early.
Household Priorities Planning Check
Use a notebook and an announced household discussion under normal conditions. Imagine a disruption on paper; keep normal services and care available.
- Choose one disruption to discuss. List what is known in the scenario, what remains uncertain and where you would obtain current official information.
- Account for household members and their support needs in the scenario. Identify who would make contact and what backup arrangement is available.
- Review essential functions such as safe water, food, shelter, care, sanitation and communication. Record available resources and the first likely limitation.
- Choose the most urgent unresolved household need and identify an appropriate next action, willing helper or source of qualified assistance. Avoid assuming damaged places or utilities are safe.
- Discuss one changed condition, update priorities and choose a preparation gap to improve now. Assign a person, completion date and time to review the plan.
This check is not a building inspection, cleanup procedure or permission to return to an affected area. Follow current instructions from responsible officials and qualified responders in a real event.
Identify weakness → Choose one improvement → Practice → Reassess
CONTINUE YOUR PREPAREDNESS PASSPORT
Keep Building Your Disaster Ready Capabilities
Connect the first-hours-and-days plan with the household systems needed to sustain it. Continue building sanitation, hygiene and waste arrangements that remain usable during service disruptions.
Knowledge → Skills → Gear → Practice → Validation