(Meet the woman who studies ancient catastrophes to prevent future disasters.)

“An emergency isn’t the time to try new strange foods you’ve never had before,” says Cobb, warning of this particular nightmare: “The last thing you need is to be two days into a hurricane without a working toilet and your food’s not agreeing with you.” In an extreme situation, notes Hunt, you’ll be sufficiently stressed as it is and will want “high-energy, high-calorie nutritious food that’s easy to prepare, doesn’t require power or a fire, and that you know your family will eat.”     

Food’s imperative, but resist going overboard with heavily marketed survivalist foods. “You don’t need dehydrated, freeze-dried meals fit for astronauts,” says Cobb. They’re super expensive, you don’t get much for what you’re spending, and you probably won’t like them anyhow. Stock up instead on food your family already eats and enjoys, and consider your non-human family members too: “Don’t forget about your pet, who’s relying on you,” cautions Cobb. 

How do you stay connected if the power goes out?

To ensure a nightmare tonight, watch the Netflix film Leave the World Behind. Scarier than a hurricane or asteroid, perhaps, this film’s terrifying not because of what’s coming, but for what’s mysteriously, inexplicably gone. “Imagine a world where the grid’s down and nobody knows why—was it a cyber attack? Terrorist attack? An EMP?” asks Hunt. (That last one’s an electromagnetic pulse, which could disturb and disable all our computers and smartphones.) Whatever’s happening out there, you won’t know it. 

Skip this hell on Earth with a lower-tech gadget from yesteryear: An emergency radio with an antenna that winds up by hand. “They’re cheap, simple to use, and will keep you from flipping out because you don’t know what’s going on,” says Hunt. Newer models double as phone chargers, flashlights, and a flashing SOS strobe light should you need to signal a rescue team.