The ARES newsletter from the ARRL recently had some guidance from FEMA on when they recommend you should shelter in place. Regardless of anyone’s opinion of FEMA, there’s some good information here…

• FEMA Shelter-in Place GuidanceFEMA has released Shelter-in-Place Pictogram Guidance for 10 hazards and three building types. The pictograms provide clear, visual guidance to the public on shelter-in-place actions classified by both hazard and building type to ensure the public takes effective protective actions when instructed to shelter-in-place during emergencies.The guidance provides recommended interior locations for specific hazards, additional actions for protection, and the recommended duration for staying sheltered-in-place. The 10 hazards are:Active Shooter, Chemical Hazards, Earthquake, Flooding/Flash Flooding, Hurricane, Nuclear/Radiological Hazards, Pandemic, Thunderstorm, Tornado, and Winter Storm. The three building types are:Manufactured or Mobile Home, 1- or 2-Story Buildings, and Multi-story Buildings. The shelter-in-place pictograms can be used by community partners in multiple communication channels, such as posters, websites, just-in-time social media posts and by emergency managers for Integrated Public Alert & Warning System Wireless Emergency Alerts. The Shelter-in-Place Pictogram Guidance can be downloaded.The FEMA document is available at https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_shelter-in-place_guidance_5-25-2021.pdf

While all of it may not be applicable, the parts that do apply are just another tool in one’s toolbox.