Being Prepared Doesn’t Have to Happen All at Once.
Start with the basics, focus on the disruptions most likely to affect your household, and build from there. Ready Chateau will help you decide what you need, what you may already have, and what deserves your attention next.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Start with the essentials. Our Start With the Basics guide walks you through the first practical steps for preparing your household—without assuming you need to buy a lot of new equipment.
Explore Preparedness Topics
Choose the area that matters most to your household right now. You don’t have to tackle everything at once.
Home Preparedness
Plans, emergency kits, important documents, and practical steps for a more prepared household.
- Start With the Basics: A Practical Guide to Home Preparedness
- How to Build a 72-Hour Emergency Kit
- Important Documents for an Emergency
- The Complete Home Emergency Preparedness Checklist
Emergency Power
Generators, portable power stations, batteries, solar, emergency lighting, and backup-power planning.
- What to Do When the Power Goes Out: A Homeowner’s Complete Guide
- Portable Power Station vs. Generator: Which Do You Actually Need?
- Portable Generator Safety: Avoid Carbon Monoxide, Fire and Electrical Hazards
- How Much Generator Do I Need for My House?
- How Long Can a Portable Power Station Run a Refrigerator?
- What Can You Actually Run During a Power Outage?
- Extension Cords for Generators: What Homeowners Need to Know
- Best Portable Power Stations for Home Power Outages
- Portable Generators for Home Outages: Our Picks by Power Need
- Best Extension Cords for Generators: Match the Cord to the Connection
Water
How much to store, how to store it, filtration, purification, and emergency water planning.
- How Much Water Should You Store for an Emergency?
- How Long Does Stored Water Last?
- The Right Way to Store Emergency Water at Home
- Water Filters vs. Water Purifiers: What’s the Difference?
- Best Emergency Water Storage Containers
Food
Practical emergency food storage, rotation, shelf life, and ways to cook when the power is out.
- Build an Emergency Food Supply Without Wasting Money
- How Much Emergency Food Should You Keep at Home?
- How to Cook During a Power Outage
- What Foods Actually Last the Longest?
- How to Rotate Emergency Food Without Waste
Severe Weather
Prepare for hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, flooding, extreme weather, and extended outages.
Emergency Gear
Flashlights, radios, first-aid supplies, fire safety equipment, tools, and other gear worth having.
- 15 Things People Forget in Their Emergency Kit
- Best Emergency Lighting for a Power Outage
- Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Backup Power
Equipment Maintenance & Readiness
Store it. Maintain it. Test it. Know how to use it—so your equipment works when you actually need it.
- Why Your Generator Won’t Start After Sitting—and How to Prevent It
- How Often Should You Run Your Generator?
- How to Store a Portable Generator the Right Way
- Fuel Stabilizer for a Generator: When to Use It
- Portable Generator Maintenance Checklist for Homeowners
- Portable Power Station Maintenance: Make the Battery Last
- How Often Should You Test Emergency Equipment?
- Free Emergency Equipment Maintenance Calendar
Start Where You Are
You do not need to work through every topic today. Start with the guide that addresses your most immediate concern, take one practical step, and return when you are ready for the next one.