How to make a family emergency plan
Supplies are only half of being ready. The other half is a simple plan everyone in the house knows, so nobody is figuring it out in the moment, possibly without phones or while apart. A family plan takes an afternoon and changes how an emergency feels.
Pick two meeting places
- One right outside your home (a mailbox, a tree) for a sudden event like a fire.
- One outside the neighborhood in case you cannot get home or the area is closed off.
Choose an out-of-town contact
Pick one relative or friend who lives far away that everyone checks in with. In a disaster, local phone lines often jam, but a text or a long-distance call frequently still goes through. That one contact becomes the hub everyone relays status through, so you are not all trying to reach each other at once.
Plan how you will communicate
- Text instead of call. Texts get through when networks are congested and calls fail.
- Make sure everyone, including kids, knows the out-of-town contact. A small card in a backpack or wallet works when a dead phone does not.
- Know your children's school or daycare emergency plan and who is authorized to pick them up.
Plan for everyone in the household
- Medications, and anyone with mobility or medical needs.
- Pets: their own supplies, and where they can go if you evacuate.
- Elderly or far-away relatives who may need a check-in.
Documents and utilities
- Keep copies of IDs, insurance, and medical info in a waterproof bag, plus a digital copy, and some cash on hand.
- Learn how to shut off your gas, water, and electricity, and keep any needed tool nearby.
Practice it
A plan nobody remembers is not a plan. Walk through it once or twice a year, update contacts and meeting places as life changes, and make sure the kids can say the basics from memory.
Then back it with supplies
A plan tells everyone what to do; your kit is what they do it with. Pair this with a stocked, rotated supply of water, food, and essentials so the plan has something behind it, ready and not expired.
Quick checklist
- Two meeting places: one at home, one outside the neighborhood.
- One out-of-town contact everyone checks in with.
- Text over call, and kids carry the contact info.
- Plans for medications, pets, and anyone with special needs.
- Documents copied, utility shutoffs known, and practice twice a year.