Write a family emergency communication plan
During an emergency, phone networks fail and plans made on the spot fall apart. Decide the details while everyone is calm.
Choose three meeting points
Distance matters more than comfort. Pick locations everyone can reach on foot or by transit without a phone.
- Immediate: just outside the home, for fire or gas
- Neighborhood: a landmark within walking distance if the block is closed
- Out of area: a relative or friend far enough away to be unaffected
Name one out-of-area contact
Local lines jam first. A contact in another region can relay messages between household members who cannot reach each other.
- Everyone memorizes or carries that number on paper
- Agree that text messages are the default, since they go through when calls do not
- Teach children a short check-in script: name, where I am, who I am with
Write down the pickup and release rules
Schools and childcare release children only to authorized people. Fix this on paper before you need it.
- List who is authorized to collect each child, and confirm the school has them on file
- Agree who tries first and who is the backup
- Note the school and workplace emergency lines and websites
Give everyone a card and rehearse once a year
Print a wallet card per person with the meeting points, the out-of-area contact, medical notes, and insurance details. Then walk through it once a year.
- Rehearse the walking route to the neighborhood meeting point
- Practice sending a check-in text with no calls
- Confirm every phone can be charged from a battery pack you own
Common questions
What should a family emergency plan include?
Meeting points, one out-of-area contact, school and childcare pickup rules, medical and insurance details, and how each person will check in when calls fail.
Why is texting better than calling in an emergency?
Voice calls need a sustained connection and are the first thing to fail under load. Text messages are small and retry automatically until a signal is available.
See where your household stands
The Household Resilience Check scores this dimension along with seven others in about five minutes.
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