PrepShield

**EXPANDED REGIONAL PREPAREDNESS** We've completely overhauled our region system. The old "Northern US" has been split into Northeast and Northwest — because preparing for a nor'easter in Boston is nothing like preparing for an atmospheric river in Seattle. We've also added dedicated tabs for Alaska and Florida, two states with such unique threat profiles they deserve their own seasonal guidance. **NORTHEAST** — Covers New England, the Mid-Atlantic, NY, PA, NJ, CT, MA, and ME. New alerts include nor'easter season prep (Nov–Mar), ice storm readiness, spring flooding from rapid snowmelt, fall winterization for furnaces and pipes, and late-season hurricane risk from tropical systems tracking up the coast. **NORTHWEST** — Covers the Pacific Northwest including WA, OR, Northern CA, and ID. New alerts include atmospheric river season (Oct–Mar) with landslide awareness, year-round Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake readiness, summer wildfire smoke season with clean-air room guidance, winter storm and mountain pass closure prep, and volcanic hazard awareness for Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helens. **ALASKA** — A completely unique threat environment. Six new alerts cover extreme cold preparation for temperatures below -40°F, winter darkness and seasonal depression awareness, year-round earthquake readiness (most seismically active state in the US), boreal wildfire and smoke season, spring breakup flooding from ice jams, and bear and wildlife safety from spring through fall. **FLORIDA** — The Sunshine State faces more overlapping natural threats than almost anywhere else. Six new alerts cover the full hurricane season (Jun–Nov) with evacuation zone guidance, extreme heat and humidity preparedness, daily lightning and thunderstorm season (Florida is the lightning capital of the US), flood and storm surge prep with FEMA flood zone references, sinkhole awareness for Central Florida's limestone bedrock, and tornado readiness (Florida ranks 3rd nationally in tornado frequency). **NEW FIELD GUIDE: WASTE MANAGEMENT & SANITATION** A critical survival topic that's often overlooked. Five new in-depth articles cover emergency toilet systems for sheltering in place, latrine construction for groups, garbage and trash management when services stop, greywater and wastewater disposal systems, and hygiene and disease prevention to keep your household healthy when infrastructure fails. **NEW TOOLS** Water Purification Calculator — Select from 6 purification methods (boiling, bleach, iodine, UV, filtration, solar) with volume-based dosing calculations and an effectiveness comparison chart. Fire Starter Guide — 8 fire-starting methods with step-by-step instructions, ranked tinder materials, and fire lay structure guides for different conditions. All 9 regions now include tailored seasonal checklists that appear on your dashboard based on your location and the time of year. Your map view also centers on your selected region automatically.