You live in the Pacific Northwest.
That means earthquakes, wildfires, flooding, and winter storms aren't hypothetical. They're the place you chose. This is how you get ready — calmly, specifically, and honestly.
That means earthquakes, wildfires, flooding, and winter storms aren't hypothetical. They're the place you chose. This is how you get ready — calmly, specifically, and honestly.
It's about care. You prepare because you have people to protect, a place worth defending, a life you want to keep. Every emergency kit is an act of imagination — a story about a future that hasn't happened yet, told by someone who decided to take it seriously.
Most preparedness resources are either frightening or boring. Government brochures with all the warmth of a DMV waiting room. Survivalist forums that assume you want to live in a bunker. I built this site because I wanted something that treated me like an adult — honest about the risks, specific to where I live, and genuinely useful. Clear guidance from your neighbors in the Cascadia bioregion, based on real geology, real weather, and real experience.
The Cascadia bioregion — from northern California through Washington and Oregon to coastal British Columbia — has its own risks, shaped by the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the Cascade Range, and a climate that swings between drought summers and wet, heavy winters. These four guides cover the threats most likely to affect your household.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone has been building pressure for over 300 years. What a major earthquake looks like in Seattle, Portland, and the coast — and what to do in the first fifteen minutes.
Hotter summers, drier forests, longer fire seasons. If you live east of the Cascades or in the wildland-urban interface, this isn't abstract. How to prepare, when to leave, and what to take.
River flooding gives you hours of warning, not minutes. If you live in a floodplain — and the winter of 2025-2026 proved how many people do — here's how to use that time.
Ice storms, atmospheric rivers, days without power. For rural households and island communities, winter isn't cozy — it's a test of whether you thought ahead.
"In 2016 I read an article in The New Yorker called 'The Really Big One.' I had a young family. The feeling of being helpless in the aftermath of an earthquake unsettled me enough to do something about it. So I built my own family-sized emergency kit — not because I'm an expert, but because I'm a parent who didn't want to be caught unprepared. This site is what I learned, shared for anyone willing to make the effort."
— Michael, in Washington State. Read more about why this exists.
You need a trip to the hardware store, a Saturday afternoon, and a clear list. I'll walk you through it.
Build your kitCascadia.me is written by Michael Hendrick and reviewed against official geological, weather, emergency management, and disaster recovery guidance relevant to the Pacific Northwest.
As of May 4, 2026, the seasonal priority is simple: replace batteries, refill first-aid consumables, check stored water, and bring wildfire smoke and evacuation items back to the front of the list before summer conditions arrive.
Use these guides for regional context and planning. When an event is happening now, follow incident-specific instructions from your local emergency manager, fire district, weather service office, or evacuation order first.
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