What to watch for, month by month

Walk your family through the exit from every bedroom at night, and keep the keys where everyone can reach them.

Drive slower in fog and leave early; if you cannot see far, stop somewhere safe and wait.

Before a wedding or function trip, count seats against passengers and ask for the driver's rest plan.

Charge e-scooters and power banks in the open, awake and away from exits and stock.

Print the home fire checklist and walk through the house with a pen.

If you run a shop, keep the lane to your shutter clear and keep one extinguisher where staff can see it.

Start the heat routine early: water bottle, cap or umbrella, and no hard outdoor work in the hottest hours.

Have the AC, wiring and fans checked before the first heat wave, not during it.

On a night bus, check where the emergency exit is before the bus moves.

Drink water before you are thirsty and carry ORS if you work or travel outdoors.

Never light a fire, burn waste or throw a cigarette near dry grass, forest or hill slopes.

When thunder starts, go into a pucca building or a closed hard-top vehicle; do not stand under a lone tree.

Look at AC plugs, sockets and extension boards: any that feel hot or smell of burning should be changed.

Check every time before locking a car: no child, no pet.

If you live on a coast, save the cyclone warning sources (IMD Mausam app, SACHET alerts) and pack your emergency bag.

Carry a torch at night and wear closed shoes when walking outside in the dark.

Find the nearest hospital with anti-snake venom and keep its number with the emergency numbers.

Clear drains and gutters near your home before the heavy rain begins.

Never enter floodwater on foot or in a vehicle; turn around and take another route.

Avoid hill roads during continuous heavy rain, and check that the road is open before you leave.

Empty standing water from coolers, buckets and pots weekly to cut mosquito breeding.

Before entering a festival crowd, find two exits and agree on a meeting point with your family.

Leave early if a crowd starts pushing; do not go against its flow.

In hill areas, leave at once if you see new cracks, tilting trees or muddy water coming from a slope.

Keep children and elders on the shore during immersion; send one trained, supervised group at a time.

Never enter water to rescue someone without help; throw a rope or a floating object instead.

Do not visit a hill stream or waterfall during or just after rain; it can rise even when it is dry where you stand.

At any pandal or mela, note two exits before you go in and leave if the crowd starts to push.

Keep diyas on a steady, non-burning base and away from curtains; no open flame while a gas cylinder is being changed.

Keep two buckets of water and one of sand near where crackers are lit, and keep children at a distance.

Use only one appliance per socket and throw away light strings with cracked insulation.

If you live on the east coast, check your cyclone warning sources and keep your emergency bag packed.

On bad-air days, keep windows shut during the worst hours and limit outdoor exercise.

Stay below the speed at which you can stop in the distance you can see; if fog is thick, pull off the road safely and wait.

Never run a generator or a charcoal sigri in a closed room; carbon monoxide has no smell.

At any party, school function or restaurant, look for the exits before you sit down.