How do you make a family emergency plan?
Short answer
Sit down together, including the children, and agree on five things: who calls whom, one out-of-area contact, three meeting places (outside your home, in the neighborhood, out of town), important numbers written on paper, and who picks up the children and helps relatives. Practice the plan twice a year.
Five questions for one evening
- Who calls whom?
- Who is our out-of-area contact?
- Where do we meet — outside the home, in the neighborhood, out of town?
- Who picks up the children and helps elderly relatives?
- Where are the kit, documents, cash and medicines?
Two rules that matter most
- Important numbers on paper, not only in your phone.
- When the network fails, send a short text instead of calling — texts get through more easily.
Practice the plan twice a year, for example when the clocks change. The guide is a fill-in family plan form with wallet cards for every family member, ready to print.
The full guide also gives you
Family Plan
A family emergency plan you fill in together — who does what, who we call and where we meet when the phones go quiet
Worksheets (appendices)
- The Crisis Has Started — What First?
- Family Members and Roles
- Contacts and Local Information
- Meeting Place Card
- Special Care — Children, Older Adults, Pets
- Wallet Cards
- Practice Log
Sources: FEMA / Ready.gov — Make a Plan; Red Cross — Make a Plan. Sources are listed on the last page of every guide.
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