How to prepare for severe weather with AI

Research types of severe weather and local emergency resources

Knowledge is power, so it’s a good idea to start with research. Knowing the types of severe weather you’re most likely to encounter in your area tells you whether to prioritize a flood, hurricane, or winter-storm checklist. Also, compiling a list of local emergency resources sets the stage for managing severe weather in your community.

Search and generative AI provide up-to-the minute local data and guidance, making them powerful research tools. Try AI prompts like these to gather info as the first step of severe weather prep:

• In [location], what types of severe weather are most common? How common are they?
• In case of severe weather, make a list of all the local resources and provide phone numbers.
• For [location], provide detailed information about emergency response plans, evacuation routes, power outage procedures, and emergency communication options in case of severe weather.

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Gather your essentials

Whether you’re prepping to hole up during the next big storm or hit the road a.s.a.p. for a weather-related evacuation, learn what you need and start gathering your essentials. Try prompts like these to prep your home, documents, and personal necessities in case of emergency:

• How do I prepare my home for a snowstorm? What food and supplies should I have on hand, and what else do I need to know? Please make a winter-storm preparation checklist.
• Make a list of all the documents and personal information I should collect in case of an evacuation. Also, what is the safest way to store these documents?
• Make a comprehensive checklist for hurricane preparation. Include plans for staying home and evacuating.

Be ready for anything

Increase your readiness by creating and practicing severe weather action plans with AI tools. Just like fire drills in schools and offices, severe weather drills at home help everyone feel a little more prepared. Turn to AI to provide emergency scenarios to practice your response and sharpen your skills. Try prompts like these to help you and yours jump into action as needed:

• Design an at-home tornado drill. Make a list of what each family member should do. Family members include: [list people, ages, and any different needs].
• Let’s play a game. Come up with different severe weather emergency scenarios. Ask me how I would respond. Then, evaluate my response to tell me how I did and what else I could have done.
• I want to teach my family how to prepare for a snowstorm, and I want to make it fun. Create a step-by-step family action plan and help us make a game out of it. We’ll practice this once a year, so build in fun elements to track yearly.

With AI tools, preparing for a storm or severe weather event has never been easier. See what else there is to learn with AI in our Everyday AI hub.