/ first_moves
Do these first
/ failure_mode
How this plan fails
Shelter-in-place is hazard-specific. Fire, explosion risk, building damage, or an official evacuation order may make leaving safer than sealing a room.
/ avoid
Do not spend your first mistake here
- Driving into an unknown plume because you guessed the wind.
- Leaving to collect family or pets unless officials say it is safe.
Chemical air hazards are easy to misread from the ground. A smell, smoke column, siren, derailment, or industrial fire does not automatically mean the safest route is away. The official instruction matters because wind, plume, and road data may not be visible to you.
If told to shelter, get inside with people and pets. Close windows and doors. Shut outside-air systems when appropriate. Move to the room you can seal best, with water, medication, phone, charger, radio, and go-kit.
If told to evacuate, go early and follow the route. Do not improvise toward the plume or through blocked roads.
The correct action is not bravery. It is matching movement or shelter to the actual air hazard.