Another thing people forget to do until the internet is already down? Download emergency phone apps. As of October 2025, FEMA has an app. Your local municipal or state government likely also has opt-in emergency push notifications. Consider opting in. WIRED has also cataloged a number of other personal safety apps, including a subscription service called Rescu that can connect you directly to first responders.
For wildfires, University of Oregon wildfire expert Stasiewicz strongly recommends that you download independent wildfire awareness app Watch Duty, which offers up-to-date information on wildfires all over the country and became an important lifeline especially during the 2025 Los Angeles fires. The app will most likely deliver evacuation information faster than your local sheriff, Stasiewicz notes, giving your family a lot more lead time in 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 Log-Splitting Wedge
I know, I know, an axe seems cooler. But in an emergency, you don’t actually want an axe wound. And if you’re not the sort of person who regularly uses one, an emergency is not the time to learn that an axe can slide quite easily off the side of an unstable log, and toward your waiting foot. Use this wedge. It’ll be helpful if you need firewood, for fires.
Entertainment for the Kids (or You)
This is another neglected item that’s recommended by everyone from emergency experts to everyone who’s ever met a child. In stressful or protracted situations, trust in distraction. This can be as simple as a book of puzzles, a good building kit, or the foresight on the way out the door to grab the Nintendo Switch 2 and a small power bank like WIRED’s top-pick Nimble.
An Action Plan for Pets
Do you plan on leaving Fido or Meowser behind, when the rains come to wash these streets clean? Assuming not, maybe keep a pet carrier with portable food and water dishes handy. If you have horses, you’ll need to own a trailer and something that can tow it. 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 Items
A can opener, to open cans. A pair of scissors for all sorts of things. Duct tape and sheeting to build temporary shelters or provide cover from rain. A box of matches in a ziplock baggie. A notepad and a pen. Non-shatter plates and cups, 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’re 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 wildfire. And so when I asked which aspect of emergency preparation that victims of wildfires often regret neglecting, she had one word: “Memories.”
“Our checklists talk about how to survive a fire,” she said. “They say, ‘Bring your meds, bring your IDs, bring your important documents, grab your computer and your wallet.’ But they don’t mention anything about what’s going to help you rebuild if you do lose everything. For some folks, that’s the art they bought on their honeymoon. It’s the recipe book that is great-grandma’s from Germany. It’s the photo albums of the photos you didn’t get to digitize.”
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