Emergency Preparedness

Los Angeles – October 15, 2026 -- Homeowners hit by a house fire do not need a full inventory of losses or a repair estimate before calling their insurer, according to Mercury Insurance, which has published a six-step guide for the first 24 hours after a fire.

Bonnie Lee, Vice President of Property Claims at Mercury Insurance, says the goal is to protect the family, preserve information and get recovery moving, and that homeowners do not need every answer right away.

Stay out until officials say the home is safe

Homeowners should not enter a fire-damaged structure until emergency officials confirm it is safe. Fire can weaken floors, walls, ceilings and electrical systems even when damage is not visible, and smoke, soot and contaminated water can remain hazards after the flames are out. If the home is unsafe, families should find a secure place for people and pets to stay and should not try to retrieve belongings from an unstable building.

Oakland – October 14, 2026 -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) may shut off power to about 88,000 customers in 29 California counties, starting Wednesday evening, October 14, as a statewide fire weather system moves through.

The planned outage is called a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). Customers have already received multiple notices, and PG&E says it will notify them again within four hours of their planned shutoff. Six Tribes may also be affected.

Check your address and prepare for a long outage

Customers can see whether their address is in scope and read the latest updates at pge.com/PSPSupdates. PG&E advises those who have been notified to prepare for extended outages:

Oakland – October 14, 2026 -- Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) says a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff could affect about 88,000 customers, running from Wednesday evening, October 14, through Saturday afternoon. Customers can check their address at pge.com/pspsupdates.

The scope shifted by 25,000 customers as the forecast changed

As weather conditions evolved, PG&E added approximately 25,000 customers to the event and removed approximately 7,300. The 88,000 figure spans 29 counties and includes about 5,500 Medical Baseline customers and six Tribal governments.

Chicago – October 12, 2026 -- Allstate customers hit by Hurricane Isaias can file claims around the clock and visit five mobile claims centers in Alabama and Florida for in-person help.

Customers can file claims 24/7 through five channels

Allstate asks customers with storm damage to file as soon as it is safe. Filing early starts the claims process and connects customers with support resources. Claims can be filed on Allstate.com, in the Allstate Mobile app, by calling 1-800-54-STORM (1-800-547-8676), through an Allstate agent or at a mobile claims center.

"We're here to answer questions and support them through recovery," said Mike Fiato, Executive Vice President and Chief Claims Officer at Allstate.

Once it is safe, customers should photograph or film the damage and take reasonable steps to prevent more of it. They should also keep receipts for temporary repairs.

Valcourt – September 23, 2026 -- Ski-Doo, in partnership with Backcountry Access (BCA), is launching its eighteenth year of free Avalanche Awareness Seminars, offering more than 35 sessions across Canada and the United States this winter.

More than 30,000 snowmobilers have attended the program since it began

The seminars, run through Ski-Doo's Responsible Rider program, cover route planning, rescue techniques, safety equipment and forecast resources. Open to riders of any snowmobile brand and any experience level, the free sessions are billed as one of the longest-running avalanche education programs in the snowmobile industry.

Houston – September 20, 2026 -- Olight has launched the ArkTac Series, its first tactical flashlight line built on the flat-body, multi-source design first introduced with the ArkPro, alongside a new Amber Orange colorway for the ArkPro Ultra. The announcements came at O-Fan Day 2026, timed to National Preparedness Month.

The ArkTac Series adds tactical controls to a flat, pocketable body

The lineup includes two models, ArkTac and ArkTac Ultra, both featuring a two-stage tail switch that jumps straight to Turbo Spotlight or Pure Flood without cycling through modes. A new CommandPoint shortcut activates Strobe with one touch and can be reprogrammed for other functions. Both models include UV and Red Light, while the Ultra version adds a Green Laser. Output reaches up to 1,800 lumens with a beam distance of up to 215 meters.

Boulder, Colo. – September 18, 2026 -- Two new murals have gone up in Nederland and Lyons, Colorado, part of a campaign urging homeowners to treat wildfire mitigation as routine home upkeep rather than an emergency response.

Wildfire Partners commissioned the artwork to reach residents directly

The murals, funded by Boulder County's Wildfire Partners program, are located at Nederland Feed and Pet on CO-72 in Nederland and on Broadway between 4th and 5th Ave. in Lyons. Artists Taylor Shaw and Rachel Dinda designed the pieces, each carrying the campaign headline "Home Sweet Mitigated Home" alongside embedded images of properly mitigated homes -- including examples of removed juniper plants, a highly combustible landscaping choice near many county houses.

Avon, Ohio – September 18, 2026 -- A new national survey finds that 63% of homeowners rate their storm preparedness a 7 out of 10 or higher, yet most still reach for the wrong repair tools once damage actually occurs. The T-Rex® Tape Storm Readiness Report, based on a September 2026 poll of 1,000 homeowners conducted by T-Rex® Brand, found 48% have tested batteries for emergency devices and 45% have trimmed trees around their homes as part of storm prep.

Eight in 10 homeowners face unexpected repairs

Eighty percent of respondents have experienced unexpected home damage requiring repair, and 43% say it's happening more often than five years ago, pointing to aging homes and severe weather as top causes. Despite this, only 30% have organized their repair tools as part of storm preparation, and just 51% say emergency storm supplies would be easy to find when needed.

Central Florida – September 17, 2026 -- As hurricane season peaks and National Preparedness Month draws attention to household safety, Frank Gay Services is urging Central Florida homeowners to inspect plumbing, electrical and air-conditioning systems before storm damage or summer wear causes bigger problems.

Homeowners should watch for warning signs before systems fail

"Seasonal home checks provide an opportunity to spot concerns before those issues disrupt their routines," said Josh Geltz, Operations Manager with Frank Gay Services. He advised residents to contact a licensed professional when plumbing, electrical or air-conditioning systems look, sound or perform differently than expected.

Los Angeles – September 17, 2026 -- NOAA forecasters say there is a greater than 90% chance the current El Niño will become very strong during fall and winter 2026-27, with a 69% chance it could exceed every El Niño measured since 1950. The warning comes as Farmers Insurance urges homeowners and business owners to review coverage before severe weather hits.

El Niño forms when parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean warm well above normal, shifting the jet stream that steers U.S. storm patterns. A strong event can bring heavy rain, flooding, powerful storms, landslides and dangerous winter weather, though impacts vary by region and are not guaranteed everywhere. The pattern typically recurs every two to seven years and lasts up to 12 months; the most recent one ran from 2023 to 2024.