Order of Operations

The sequence is the strategy

Almost every historical settlement failure traces to doing appealing things before necessary things. The order below is deliberately boring: water, food, winter, sanitation, light/comms, skills census. Projects that feel productive but sit lower on the list wait their turn.

At a glance

The sequence is the strategy: water → food → winter → sanitation → light/comms → skills census
Week one: inventory water against people × 4 L/day, name one water steward, treat before the first shared meal
Count everyone — visitors, neighbors, pets; headcount drives every later calculation
Before first hard freeze: dwellings weatherized, water protected, 90+ days of food on shelves, fuel dry, flues inspected
Ongoing: weekly all-hands 30 minutes max

Week one: water and headcount

Inventory what exists: every tank, well, heater tank, rain barrel, and stored case of bottled water within reach. Add it up against people × 4 L/day.
Name a water steward. One person tracks supply, treatment, and rationing — shared mental models drift fast.
Establish treatment per the Water Treatment page before the first shared meal, not after the first stomach bug.
Count everyone — including visitors, neighbors living alone, and pets. Headcount drives every later calculation.
Sew up the obvious holes: one bucket toilet per ~8 people, one handwash station per dwelling. See Sanitation & Hygiene.

Month one: food and fuel reality

Pooled pantry inventory, counted honestly, eaten on a plan — not "everyone grabs theirs." Shared cooking beats nine separate camp stoves burning nine separate fuels.
Cook once, feed many: one kitchen shift feeds the whole group with a fraction of the fuel and cleanup.
Fuel audit: heating/cooking fuel gets measured in days remaining, written on a board, updated weekly. Unknown numbers breed panic; known numbers breed plans.
Start the garden the same week you open the pantry — season-permitting. Gardens pay in months; pantries only shrink.

Before winter arrives (non-negotiable deadline)

Winter doesn't negotiate, so the checklist below is dated backwards from first hard freeze:

Every dwelling weatherized: gaps sealed, insulation improvised, one warm room designated each
Water storage protected from freezing or drain-and-refill routine established
90+ days of food actually on shelves (not projected)
Heating fuel laid in and dry
Chimneys/flues inspected before first fire — see Heating & Cooking Safely
Cold-weather clothing pooled and distributed by need, not ownership

Ongoing rhythm (after month one)

Sanitation upgrades: proper latrines or composting systems replace buckets; fly control becomes a standing chore.
Light and comms: shared battery budget, one charging station, radio listen schedule. See Comms when that section ships.
Skills census: write down who can do what — nursing, welding, teaching, butchering, translating. Unlisted skills don't exist when needed at 2 a.m.
Watch rotation: light, friendly, scheduled — presence prevents problems far better than response.
Weekly all-hands, 30 minutes max: numbers reviewed, tasks assigned, grievances aired small. See Working Together.

The classic trap

Big visible projects (walls, flags, grand plans) are more fun than latrines and inventories. Groups that build walls first and count water never tend to be around long enough to enjoy them. Boring first, glorious later.

Original BreakGlass content, informed by public-domain FEMA/CERT community-preparedness material. Educational only.