There was always a pink blanket in the trunk of the family car when I was growing up. It took up a lot of space but could never be removed, because what if the car broke down in winter? We would all have to huddle under the blanket while we waited for help. Driving without a blanket is just asking for trouble.

Coin cell or "button" batteries are small, shiny, and feel tingly on the tongue. If you're a toddler, that puts them into the category of "belongs in my mouth". But a swallowed button battery can begin burning a hole through a kid's oesophagus in hours, causing pain, severe injury, and sometimes complications leading to death.

Remember when you bought a new can opener because you thought you lost your old one? What do you plan on doing with that half-used roll of duct tape that's collecting dust in your garage? The last time you used that flashlight in the kitchen junk drawer was to pretend to be a jedi, wasn't it? These are all items you probably have lying around that you can consolidate into a home emergency kit. It might just save you and your family's lives.

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.

Due to the current state of the world, and nonstop media coverage of tragic events, we're more on edge in public spaces than ever before. But reacting before you think can be just as dangerous to yourself and others as the perceived threat - especially when you're in a crowded environment.

Hey there preppers! Remember when we talked about Doomsday Prepping for Non-Paranoid People? About how, in these uncertain times, we should all have a well-stocked emergency kit, or in my case, an emergency cabinet? If you acquired the basics of water, food and gear six months ago, now is the the time to open your kit and check that your supplies are still functional, edible and potable. You don't want to want to be mid-disaster and realise your batteries leaked corroded crusty goo all over the Kind bars.

Video: Back in the '50s and '60s, your home wasn't complete if you didn't have your own fallout shelter. This classic educational video shows you how to build your own.

If you live near a coast in the US, you've probably been biting your nails as Irma was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane, and the category numbers climbed. But what do the categories mean, exactly?

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.

You do not want your toddler to drown. I don't want your toddler to drown, either. Swimming lessons are great, and can help them be more comfortable in water, but please don't rely on them to give you peace of mind at the pool.

In the wake of an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that left 22 dead and over 50 injured, Facebook activated its Safety Check feature, giving users in the area the opportunity to assure friends and family they were safe.

Flood waters may not look all that threatening on TV, especially if you're a skilled swimmer. But flash floods are actually incredibly dangerous, and they can strike with little to no warning. This is what you should do if you or your vehicle gets swept away by the raging waters.

NSW is currently shivering its way through one of the worst cold snaps in memory. Last night, Sydney temperatures dropped to 10 degrees or under - which was a rude shock after weeks of balmy Autumn weather. While we haven't reached frostbite season yet, it can never hurt to be prepared. This infographic explains what to do when Jack Frost tries to bit your nose off.

Victims of car accidents can end up replaying disturbing memories in their minds. But these intrusive memories, one aspect of post-traumatic stress disorder, may be preventable. All you have to do, according to a new study, is play Tetris after the accident.

If you're trying to remember how to do CPR, but the guideline song Stayin' Alive just doesn't stick in your head, New York Presbyterian Hospital has a 40-song playlist you can browse instead. All of the songs are a CPR-friendly 100+ beats per minute.

This is advice I hope you never need but should know anyway. A nuclear attack is everybody's worst nightmare, and the immediate aftermath is just as bad, if not worse, than the explosion itself. Here's what you should do if you survive the initial blast.

The fantasy of an impending zombie apocalypse may inspire urban survival fantasies in the most level-headed of us, but zombie apocalypse or not, knowing how to survive the breakdown of social amenities we take for granted is a legitimate skill. Here's a look at the basic urban survival skills you need to know, catered to your skill set.

You would think an emergency room is a place to get medical care quickly, but plenty of us know the feeling of waiting for hours even if the place doesn't seem busy. This video helps to explain why.

You're standing on a beach fully clothed, enjoying a nice barbecue when you see someone in the nearby lake flailing. Naturally you spring into action. If you jumped into the water fully clothed, though, you're about to make it a lot harder to save that drowning person - or even yourself.