Basics
Separated family: how to reunite
The disaster caught you in different places and you can't reach each other.
Do this nowTap each step when done
- 1Send a text, don't call. Texts go through when calls don't.
- 2Check in with your out-of-state contact: who, where, how, where you're going.
- 3Use the agreed format: "OK – at home – 2 people – point 2 at 6 pm."
- 4Go to the meeting point that applies: near home, neighborhood, or city.
- 5Wait the agreed time. If they don't arrive, go on to the next point.
- 6Report at a fixed time, for example every hour on the hour.
- 7FRS/GMRS radios: listen on the agreed channel from :00 to :05.
Don't
- Don't go back into a dangerous building for anyone.
- Don't wait on the highway shoulder.
- Don't text while driving.
- Don't waste battery dialing over and over.
Have ready
- Paper contact list in every wallet.
- Three meeting points with exact addresses.
- Out-of-state contact, tested with a text.
- Your pets' tags with your cell number and the contact's.
More detail
Reviewed: Nov 2026 · Sources: Chapter 1 · Fundamentals
