No matter where you live, extreme weather can hit your area and change your life. Whether it’s a hurricane, winter storm, flash flood, tornado, wildfire, or heat wave, disasters can damage or destroy your home and property, cause lengthy power outages, and stall civic services. Grist created a comprehensive guide to help you stay ready and informed before, during, and after these traumatic and chaotic events, as well as where to find and build support in your community. We list the most accurate weather updates and emergency alerts, explain the roles different agencies play in disaster aid, and provide details on your rights.
We gathered need-to-know information from government websites, trusted nonprofits and community organizations, and news media. It’s all fact-checked and will be updated periodically. Have something to add? Reach out: community@grist.org.
The resources above were made to help you quickly sift through urgent information. They’re easy to load if you have little cell service or download as a PDF for offline reading if a storm knocks out power.
Everything on this page is available for republication and/or translation with credit to Grist and the author. The republishing link is located at the bottom left of each page. These guides, however, are general for a U.S. audience, so we encourage you to customize them, adding local context, contact information, instructions, and updates for your town, state, or tribal nation. (Here’s a template to show you how it works, and an example of a version that published in Michigan in 2026.)
Featured
How to protect your health if a disaster strikes your community
Your guide to the biggest health consequences of extreme weather — from mosquito-and tick-borne illnesses to mental health issues — and how to best prepare for them.
How are disasters and climate linked?
The stories below provide more context on the connection between climate change and disasters, as well as other relevant news and updates.
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![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a hurricane]()
![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a hurricane]()
How climate change is intensifying hurricanes
The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters — and how they may be playing out where you live.
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![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a hills with wildfire smoke]()
![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a hills with wildfire smoke]()
How climate change is supercharging wildfires
The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters — and how they may be playing out where you live.
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![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a car driving through a flooded street]()
![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a car driving through a flooded street]()
How climate change is worsening flooding and heavy rainfall
The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters — and how they may be playing out where you live.
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![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a person standing in an urban neighborhood on a hot day]()
![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a person standing in an urban neighborhood on a hot day]()
How climate change is worsening extreme heat
The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters — and how they may be playing out where you live.
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![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a tornado]()
![A collage showing a red square with orange-to-red gradient and a square of a tornado]()
How climate change may be affecting tornadoes
The latest science on the link between climate change and natural disasters— and how they may be playing out where you live.
