DIYProjects you can do yourself
DIY preparedness: projects you can do yourself this weekend
A drill, a free afternoon and one of these guides. Each project makes your home safer or more self-reliant, and most cost little.
Guides
- Home Securing furniture for earthquakes Most earthquake injuries come from falling objects, not collapsing buildings. How to strap bookcases, wardrobes, TVs, water heaters and mirrors to the wall, what hardware to use and what to move away from the bed.
- Home Equipment Essential home tools The tools you need to fix small things yourself and cope after a storm, flood or earthquake. The basic list, what to buy first and what to leave for later.
- Home Protecting your home from floods What to do before snowmelt and spring rains to protect your home: check your flood risk, clear gutters and drains, fit a backwater valve and sump pump, move valuables up and prepare sandbags.
- Home Basement as a shelter How to turn a basement or cellar into a shelter for air-raid alerts, tornadoes or radiation warnings: what to check about the structure, air and flooding, what to keep there (water, light, a toilet, places to sleep) and what never to do.
- Home Safe room at home There's no single safe room for every situation. How to choose the right spot in your house or apartment for an earthquake, air raid, nuclear emergency, chemical accident, tornado or severe storm and a break-in, and what to keep there.
- Water Rainwater harvesting How to collect rainwater from your roof in barrels or tanks, what you can use it for without treatment (garden, toilet, cleaning), why it isn't safe to drink straight, how to treat it if needed and what to know about local rules and mosquitoes.
- Food Home canning without botulism Why home-canned vegetables, mushrooms, beans or meat can cause botulism, which foods are safe in a water bath and which need a pressure canner, the warning signs and the symptoms of poisoning.
- Water Emergency water purification Four ways to make contaminated tap water, well water or rainwater safe. What each method removes and what it doesn't, with exact amounts.
- Food Balcony vegetable garden What you can grow on a balcony, in which containers, when to sow and how much you can realistically harvest. Plus sprouts and microgreens that grow on a windowsill all year.
- Energy Equipment UPS backup for a gas boiler Why a gas boiler shuts down in a power cut, what kind of UPS it needs (pure sine wave, power rating, battery), how to work out how many hours you get, common installation problems and when a portable power station is the better choice.
- Home Equipment Smoke, CO and gas detectors Which alarms your home needs: smoke (photoelectric or heat), carbon monoxide, natural gas and combination units. Which certifications to check, where to install them in an apartment or house, and how long they last.