Emergency & Medical Disclaimer
The limits of this site — and when to stop reading and call for help.
Emergency information
Everything on State of Emergency is general educational information. It is not an official emergency notification service, and it does not replace instructions from emergency services, the National Weather Service, or state and local authorities.
Where our guidance and an official instruction disagree, follow the official instruction.
Why this page is longer than most
Most sites can treat a disclaimer as a formality. This one covers live hazard data, first aid, generators, carbon monoxide, water treatment and evacuation — subjects where a reader acting on a misunderstanding can be seriously hurt.
So this page is written to be read, not filed. Every section below states a real limit of what this site can do for you.
General guidance cannot see your situation
Preparedness writing is general by necessity and your circumstances are specific. A page cannot know your building, your local hazards, your medical conditions, your household's mobility, your water supply or your electrical system.
Where a decision depends on those specifics — whether to evacuate, whether a respirator is adequate for a given exposure, whether an electrical modification is safe — the page will tell you the decision is specific and point you to the authority that can answer it. Treat that as the substance of the advice, not a hedge around it.
Third-party products and instructions
Product information, including specifications and capabilities, comes from manufacturers and retailers and can be incomplete, optimistic or out of date.
The manufacturer's instructions for your specific model take precedence over anything written here. Where a manual and a general guide conflict, follow the manual. Where local codes apply — electrical, fire, building, fuel storage — the code takes precedence over both.
The Live Emergency Map
The map exists for situational awareness. It is not a warning system, and it is not a substitute for one.
- Data comes from third-party and official feeds, including the National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.
- Feeds can be delayed, incomplete, temporarily unavailable, or revised after publication.
- Not every hazard is represented. The map currently covers a defined set of severe-weather alerts and recent earthquakes. Hurricanes, floods, winter storms and extreme heat are not layers on this map today.
- Geographic data may be incomplete. Some official alerts are published without map coordinates; those appear in the event list without a location on the map, because we do not invent one.
- An absence on the map does not mean an absence of danger.
For decisions that matter, consult the National Weather Service, the USGS and your local emergency management agency directly.
Medical and first-aid content
First-aid and health content is general educational information.
- It does not create a physician-patient or any other professional relationship.
- It is not diagnosis, treatment or individualized medical advice.
- It cannot account for your medical history, medications or conditions.
- Consult a qualified healthcare professional for advice about your situation.
- Emergency symptoms require emergency services, not a web page.
No page on this site has been reviewed by a licensed clinician. If that changes, the reviewer will be named on the page.
Generators, electricity, fuel and carbon monoxide
Improper use of generators, fuel, heaters and electrical equipment can cause fire, electric shock, carbon monoxide poisoning, serious injury or death.
- Manufacturer instructions and applicable electrical and fire-safety codes take precedence over anything written here.
- Backfeeding a generator into household wiring without a properly installed transfer switch or interlock endangers you and utility workers.
- Work that requires a licensed professional should be done by one.
Water, food and respiratory protection
Whether a filter, a treatment method or a respirator is adequate depends entirely on the specific contaminant or hazard involved.
- A filter rated for one class of contaminant may do nothing against another.
- General content cannot determine your exposure, your local water conditions or your medical situation.
- Official public-health guidance — boil-water notices, air-quality advisories, local health department instructions — takes precedence over anything here.
Children, pets and people who need assistance
General preparedness guidance is written around an assumed household that can self-evacuate and follow instructions. Many households cannot.
If your household includes young children, someone with reduced mobility, someone dependent on powered medical equipment, or animals, your evacuation timeline and your supply needs differ materially from any general guide — including ours.
Plan with your local emergency management agency, which may operate registries or assistance programs for residents who would need help evacuating. That is a conversation to have before a warning is issued, not during one.
If you find something dangerous here
If any page on this site contains guidance you believe is unsafe, tell us and we will treat it as the highest priority. A confirmed safety error is corrected ahead of all other editorial work.
No guarantee
We work to be accurate and current. We do not guarantee that content is complete, timely, or suitable for your specific situation, and we cannot accept responsibility for decisions made solely on the basis of this site.
Preparedness guidance is general by nature. Your circumstances are not.