Family emergency plan: contacts, meeting places, pets¶

A family emergency plan is a short agreement about who to call, where to meet, and who will help whom. This page walks you through making one in about an hour, so no one has to guess in a crisis.

If you only do three things¶

1. Pick one contact who lives outside your area, and make sure everyone has their number.
2. Choose two meeting places: one near home and one outside your neighborhood.
3. Write the plan on paper and practice it.

Gather your household¶

Sit down with everyone who lives with you, including children old enough to understand. Ask what could happen where you live, such as floods, fires, earthquakes, storms, or long power outages. Check with your local emergency office to learn about local risks, alerts, and evacuation routes.

Keep the talk calm. The goal is for everyone to know what to do, not to be afraid.

Contacts¶

Write down the important phone numbers on paper, because phones can run out of battery or break.

• Each member of your household, and their work or school
• Family and friends nearby
• Doctors, pharmacies, and any care providers
• Your utility companies and insurance
• Your local emergency number and your local emergency office

Put a copy in each go bag, on the fridge, and in each phone. Teach children their parents' numbers if they are old enough. See the emergency numbers page for numbers in many countries.

An out of area contact¶

During a disaster, local calls often fail while calls and messages to people far away still work. Pick a friend or relative who lives in another city, region, or country. Everyone in your household checks in with that person, and that person can pass news to others.

Send text messages when you can, because they use less network capacity than calls and leave lines open for emergencies.

Meeting places¶

Choose where you will meet if you cannot go home or cannot reach each other.

1. Right outside your home: for sudden events such as a fire.
2. In your neighborhood: for events where you cannot go home, such as a gas leak. A neighbor's house, a park, or a school are common choices.
3. Outside your area: for evacuations. Pick a place with a clear address that everyone can find.

Learn two ways out of each room and two routes out of your neighborhood. Know where your local shelters are.

Children¶

Write down your children's school and childcare emergency plans, and find out where they would go and who can pick them up. Give the school the name of a trusted person you would allow to collect them, and keep that information up to date.

Teach children when and how to call the emergency number, their full name, and a parent's phone number. Keep comfort items and simple activities in the go bag. Explain what you will do in simple words and let them ask questions.

Older adults and people with disabilities¶

Think about the support each person needs. Plan how they will leave if stairs, elevators, or roads are blocked.

• Arrange for at least one person, such as a neighbor, to check on them.
• Keep a list of their medications, conditions, and devices, and keep spare batteries and supplies.
• Tell your local emergency office if someone needs help to evacuate, because some areas keep a register.
• Plan for power for medical devices, and tell the utility company.
• Keep copies of care instructions and contact details for caregivers.

Pets¶

Pets are family, but many shelters do not accept them, so plan ahead.

• Keep a collar with ID, a current microchip registration, and vaccination records
• Pack food, water, medications, a leash, and a carrier for each pet
• Find pet friendly hotels, friends, or boarding places in advance
• Know that service animals are usually allowed in shelters

Practice your plan¶

A plan you have never practiced is hard to follow. Walk through it twice a year.

• Practice your exits and meeting places, including at night.
• Test your out of area contact by sending a message.
• Drop, cover, and hold on if you live in an earthquake area. See earthquakes.
• Review the plan when someone moves, changes school, or has new needs.

Keep copies of the plan with your emergency kit.

Related guides¶

• Be prepared
• Emergency kit
• Natural disasters
• Earthquakes
• Emergency numbers by country