Survive Any Emergency: From Blizzards to Terrorism.

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

From ice storms to fires, hurricanes to chemical spills to terrorist attacks, disasters do happen. What you do before an emergency could make a substantial difference to how well—or even if—you survive it. In bald, staccato prose that’s no fun to read, Lawlor reels off what you need to do. Make those plans. Write that checklist. Buy that generator. Pack those backpacks. Plan your route. In other words, take this seriously.

The emphasis is on brevity and zooming in on the essentials. Many of the marching orders are sound, such as having an emergency stash of food, water, medications, and first aid supplies on hand. Yet at times the directives seem to wander off track. For example, we’re told to select foods that require no refrigeration, such as frozen meatloaf. Occasionally cryptic instructions are given, such as “anchor life support systems,” or a mysterious item such as a “cooking ring” is called for. The disregard for grammar can result in unintentional humor, such as the order to put teenagers in their backpacks.

The book snaps out instructions for what to do in a wide range of emergencies—earthquakes, landslides, heat waves, tsunamis, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning storms, and chemical/biological emergencies. Basic first aid procedures are included. Checklists, reminders about caring for pets in emergencies, and review points at the end of each section add to the work’s usefulness.