Not long ago, a fire started close to my area. It moved fast, and through news reports, we watched it snake its way toward our sleepy, suburban neighbourhood. By evening, there were mandatory evacuations about 1km away from us.

The recent and terrifying false missile alert in Hawaii has everyone asking, "What if it happened here?" While statistically, your hometown is probably not a nuclear target, historian Alex Wellerstein's NUKEMAP shows you what it would look like.

Things are… not great now. Hurricane season is clobbering the Caribbean, earthquakes are plaguing Mexico, the Pacific Northwest is on fire. Understandably, you want to help, and often the best way to help is a monetary donation to a relief organisation. And it seems like the best thing to do is to earmark your funds for the specific emergency you're responding to -- after all, that's why you're donating. But first, consider this.

The Equifax data breach, in which 143 million accounts were compromised and which might have years-long consequences for consumers, was historic in its scope and potential for damage. But it's also notable for how extraordinarily badly the company, at least from a public-relations standpoint, handled the fallout.

Hurricane categories range from 1 (119km/h winds) to 5 (252km/h and up). There is no Category 6, not even for record breaking storms such as Irma.

The Earth is getting warmer. That's a fact. And as the Earth gets warmer, we expect to see larger and stronger hurricanes. Also a fact. But there are folks denying these facts, even to the point of blaming the liberal media for the fact that hurricanes are in the news.

It happened. Bright, white light flashed before your eyes, the power of the sun licked your skin, and you felt a shock wave of dust and debris plow through the city you call home. You're one of the lucky ones, for now, but your struggle isn't over yet -- not even close.

Perhaps your subconscious, like mine, has reserved 3AM-5AM for an exercise I like to call "Panic Town", a half-awake, blurry, mental recitation of anything that could go catastrophically wrong for the country, or for you personally, or for... literally anyone. It's a fun two hours!

You never know when disaster will strike, so it's a good idea to store all of your important documents in a fireproof safe. If you're looking to buy one for your home or office, here are the features you should keep an eye out for.

It's always a good idea to make sure you're ready for whatever life throws your way. Emergency preparedness isn't about doomsday prepping, though, it's about being ready for the realistic events that can disrupt life at any time. Here are some lesser-known things you should do as you establish you and your family's emergency plan.