Start Here
New to preparedness? Identify the first supplies, documents, contacts, and household plans you need.
Get the Start Here checklist →Education • Preparation • Collaboration
Prepare calmly.
Protect your household.
Beginner-friendly guidance to help you prepare for power outages, severe weather, shortages, evacuations, and everyday emergencies.
No panic. No complicated survival plans. Just practical steps you can take today.
HOUSEHOLD BACKUP PLANBEGINNER-FRIENDLY PLAN
Official SWC brand sealEducation. Preparation. Collaboration.
YOUR FIRST THREE STEPS
- 01Know your needsPeople, pets, medication, mobility
- 02Make a contact planAlerts, meeting place, check-ins
- 03Prepare for powerLight, charging, food, safety
A clear first step
Where would you like to start?
Choose the path that fits what your household needs right now.
Prepare for an outage
Build a realistic plan for lighting, communication, food, water, medication, charging, and safety.
Get the power checklist →Ask Coach Dex
Have a preparedness question that is not answered in our guides? Send it to the SWC team.
Ask a question →Emergency guides
Practical preparation for real-life disruptions
Start with the situation most likely to affect your household. Each guide explains what to do before, during, and after.
01↗02↗03↗04↗05↗06↗
Power Outages
Lighting, charging, food safety, medication, and communication.
Severe Weather
Know your risks, receive alerts, and make a household plan.
Food and Water
Build an affordable supply around your household’s real needs.
Evacuation and Communication
Make clear plans for where to go and how to reconnect.
Household and Family Planning
Include children, older adults, caregivers, and pets.
Financial Preparedness
Protect key documents and plan for disruption-related costs.
Free household resource
Start building your household backup plan
The free Start Here Checklist will help you identify what you already have, what may be missing, and which preparedness step to take next.
- Assess your household’s needs
- Choose a realistic first priority
- Create a plan you can keep improving
Free PDF checklist
Get the Start Here Checklist
Complete the short request form and the checklist will be delivered through the existing SWC system.
Send me the checklistSecurely delivered through Jotform. You can unsubscribe from optional emails at any time.Read and prepare
Latest preparedness guidance
Power Outages
The first 10 things to check before the lights go out
A calm household walk-through for lighting, charging, food, medication, and safety.
Read the guide →Start Here
Preparedness on a real-life budget
How to build your plan one useful decision at a time without buying everything at once.
Read the guide →Communication
Who will your household contact first?
Create a simple communication plan everyone can understand and use.
Read the guide →
Meet your guide
Preparedness for everyday people
I created Surviving What’s Coming to help individuals and families become more prepared without fear, confusion, or expensive equipment.
SWC provides practical education, beginner-friendly resources, and clear next steps that help households prepare one decision at a time.
Coach DexFounder, Surviving What’s Coming
Learn more about SWCAsk Coach Dex
Have a preparedness question?
Tell us what you are preparing for, what concerns you most, and where you need help.
Daily practical preparedness
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Get calm reminders, timely household checks, and simple steps you can save and share.
Common questions
Preparedness without the overwhelm
Where should a beginner start?
Start with your household’s needs, emergency contacts, power and lighting, basic food and water, and important documents. The free Start Here Checklist walks you through those first decisions.
Do I need to buy everything at once?
No. SWC encourages practical, affordable preparation one useful step at a time, beginning with what you already have.
Are SWC resources a replacement for official emergency guidance?
No. During an active emergency, follow instructions from 911, local public safety and emergency management, utility providers, the National Weather Service, FEMA, and other appropriate authorities.
How do I ask Coach Dex a preparedness question?
Use the Ask Coach Dex form. Questions may help shape future guides, videos, and educational content.
Responsible preparedness
Preparedness works best with trusted information
During an active emergency, follow instructions from local emergency management, public safety officials, utility providers, the National Weather Service, FEMA, and other appropriate authorities. Call 911 when immediate help is needed.
Start calmly