Chapter 1 · Fundamentals
1.7 Family emergency plan
In this section (5)
Ready.gov reminds us that you may not be together when disaster strikes: household members may be at work, at school, or on the road. The plan answers one question: how do we find each other again? Do it in one afternoon and review it every year.
Step 1: Gather the information
- Cell phone, email, and workplace of each adult in the household.
- ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts: save them in each phone under the name "ICE" so responders can find them.
- An out-of-area contact (ideally outside your state): long-distance calls or texts may get through when local lines are overloaded. Everyone checks in with that person.
- Doctors, pharmacy, veterinarian, insurance, apartment complex management.
- Contact details for schools or workplaces and their emergency plans.
Step 2: Choose meeting places
| Place | Purpose | Example for an apartment |
|---|---|---|
| Near home | Quick exit (fire, gas leak) | A specific pole or mailbox in the parking lot, far from the building, that is not a fire lane. |
| Outside the neighborhood | You can't return home or an evacuation was ordered | A well-known library, school, or church, on high ground and outside flood zones. |
| Outside the city | Regional evacuation | Home of a relative or friend in another city; agree on the route. |
Make sure everyone knows the exact address and how to get there without GPS.
Step 3: Communication rules
- Text before calling. A text message uses far less network capacity and can get through when a call can't. In addition, many phones resend it automatically when the network frees up.
- If you call, be brief and say only what is vital: where you are, how you are, where you're going.
- Standard message: agree on a format. Example: "OK – at home – 2 people – heading to place 2 at 6 pm."
- Set check-in time (for example, every hour on the hour) to save battery between check-ins.
- Don't text or call while driving without hands-free.
- A paper list in each person's wallet: if the phone dies, nobody knows numbers by heart.
Step 4: Share and practice
- Give a copy to each person. In the wallet, in the 72-hour bag, and as a photo on the phone.
- Practice leaving your home with the kit and getting to the meeting place. The American Red Cross recommends practicing evacuation twice a year, driving the planned route.
- Test the out-of-state contact: have everyone send a test text.
- Review the plan at least once a year or when something changes (new job, number, pet).
Worksheet: family communication plan
| Item Value |
|---|
| Out-of-state contact (name and cell phone) |
| Local backup contact |
| Meeting place near home |
| Meeting place outside the neighborhood (address) |
| Meeting place outside the city (address) |
| Adult 1: cell phone / work |
| Adult 2: cell phone / work |
| Adult 3: cell phone / work |
| Adult 4: cell phone / work |
| Veterinarian and pet shelter |
| Doctor / pharmacy |
| Insurance (policy and phone) |
| Building or complex management / 24-hour maintenance |
| Your electric or gas company (outages) / your water company |
| Set check-in time |
