Another thing people forget to do until the Internet no longer works? Download emergency phone applications. As of October 2025, FEMA has an application. Your local municipal or state government likely has emergency push notifications enabled as well. Consider signing up. WIRED has also cataloged other personal safety apps, including a subscription service called Rescu that can connect you directly to first responders.

For wildfires, Stasiewicz, a wildfire expert at the University of Oregon, highly recommends downloading the independent wildfire awareness app Watch Duty, which provides up-to-date information on wildfires across the country and has become an important lifesaver, especially during the Los Angeles fires of 2025. The app will most likely provide evacuation information faster than the local sheriff, Stasiewicz notes, giving your family much more lead time in case of an emergency. The app is free for emergency information in a single county, but there are subscription tiers for those who want to donate or monitor broader regional wildfires and receive more detailed disaster information.

A wedge for splitting logs

Stwing

Sure Split 5-Pound Wood Splitting Wedge

I know, I know, an ax seems cooler. But in an emergency, you don’t really want an ax wound. And if you’re not the type of person who uses one regularly, an emergency is not the time to learn that an ax can slide quite easily from the side of an unstable log onto your waiting foot. Use this wedge. It will be useful if you need firewood for campfires.

Entertainment for the kids (or for you)

This is another neglected item that everyone from emergency experts to everyone who has ever met a child recommends. In stressful or prolonged situations, rely on distraction. This can be as simple as a puzzle book, a good building kit, or the forethought on your way out the door to grab the Nintendo Switch 2 and a small power bank like the Nimble, WIRED’s top pick.

A pet action plan

Do you plan to leave Fido or Meowser behind when the rains come and wash these streets? Assuming not, maybe you have a pet carrier on hand with portable dishes for food and water. If you have horses, you will need to have a trailer and something that can tow them. If you have a pet boa constrictor, I don’t have good advice. [I do have a pet boa constrictor, and I recommend putting it in a pillowcase. —Ed.]

Additional useful articles

A can opener, to open cans. Scissors for all kinds of things. Duct tape and sheets to build temporary shelters or protect yourself from the rain. A box of matches in a zip-lock bag. A notebook and a pen. Plates and glasses that do not break, whether paper or metal. A shovel. I really hope you have a good shovel.

Paper maps of your region

Yes, they still exist. Yes, they are a good idea.

A short list of what matters

At the University of Oregon, much of Stasiewicz’s research focuses on the human impacts of wildfires. So when I asked her what aspect of emergency preparedness wildfire victims often regret neglecting, she had one word: “Memories.”

“Our checklists talk about how to survive a fire,” he said. “They say, ‘Bring your medications, bring your IDs, bring your important documents, grab your computer and your wallet.’ But they don’t mention anything about what will help you rebuild if you lose everything. For some people, that’s the art they bought on their honeymoon. It’s your great-grandmother’s recipe book from Germany. It’s the photo albums of the photos you couldn’t digitize.”