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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →A family emergency communication plan is a shared, written set of contacts, meeting places, and instructions for checking in and reuniting if an emergency separates you. Make it together before a disaster, give everyone a copy they can reach, practice using it, and review it at least once a year. FEMA provides a free fillable Family Emergency Communication Plan you can use as a starting point.
What to decide before filling out the plan
Gather the people who live in your household and anyone who regularly cares for a household member. Agree how you will get in touch, where you will go, and what each person should do if you are apart. FEMA recommends discussing this before an emergency happens; its Family Emergency Plan template also advises learning the emergency arrangements used by schools, daycare providers, workplaces, and apartment buildings.
Do not assume a school or employer will release a child to anyone who arrives, or that its evacuation process matches yours. Ask each organization what it does, who is authorized to pick up children or dependents, and how it shares instructions during an emergency.
Choose contacts and places to reunite
Pick one shared out-of-town contact
Choose a trusted person outside your local area whom every household member can contact. When local phone networks are busy or household members are in different places, a shared contact can help pass along check-ins. Write down the person’s name, phone number, and email address, and make sure the contact agrees to the role. FEMA’s communication plan form includes space for this information.
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Set two meeting places
- Nearby: Choose a familiar place in or near your neighborhood that household members can reach if they cannot enter the home.
- Farther away: Choose a regional or out-of-town location for situations where you cannot return home or need to leave the local area.
Record each place’s address and discuss how people could get there. Choose locations that make sense for your household’s mobility, transportation, and likely routes; ensure everyone, including children and caregivers, knows the plan.
Write down household, care, school, and work details
Use FEMA’s free fillable plan to organize the details. The form asks for household names and contact methods, important medical or other information, and emergency and pickup arrangements for schools, childcare, caregivers, and workplaces. FEMA’s broader emergency plan template also covers school and work locations and evacuation destinations.
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- Names, reliable phone numbers, email addresses, and any agreed alternative contact method for household members.
- Important medical or other information a caregiver or responder may need. Limit access to sensitive details to people who need them.
- The address and phone number for each school, childcare provider, caregiver, workplace, and other frequently visited location.
- Each location’s emergency, evacuation, and pickup instructions, including who is authorized to collect a child or dependent.
- Useful service contacts, such as emergency services, utilities, medical providers, a veterinarian, and insurers.
Check the organizations’ own procedures and enter their actual instructions rather than relying on assumptions. Keep medical information useful and concise, and protect private details from unnecessary exposure.
Make the plan accessible on phones and on paper
Save key numbers in phones and other devices, and mark at least one emergency contact as ICE (“In Case of Emergency”). Digital contacts are easy to update, but a phone may be lost, damaged, uncharged, or unavailable when networks are disrupted. Paper works without a charged device, but can be misplaced or become outdated. Use both rather than relying on only one.
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- Give each household member a paper copy to carry in a wallet, purse, or backpack; make sure children and caregivers can find and use theirs.
- Keep another copy at home where household members can reach it.
- Store the current contact list on phones or other devices, and tell people how to access it.
- Share sensitive medical or personal information only with people who need it; do not leave it openly visible unnecessarily.
A wallet-sized card is an optional way to carry essential details. FEMA’s printable form is free, so buying a special card or sleeve is not required.
Agree on check-ins and practice the plan
Decide which method to try first—such as a call, text, or group message—and what to do if it is unavailable. Practice reaching the shared contact and sending a brief message that says both where the person is and whether they are safe, for example: “I’m OK. At library.” Make sure everyone who may rely on a phone knows how to send a text or group message; agree on another check-in method for people who cannot text.
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Practice the reunion arrangements too: have household members explain where they would go and how they would get there. Include children and caregivers, and make sure everyone understands that the school, childcare provider, or workplace may have its own process to follow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Review and update the plan
FEMA advises reviewing the information every year. Update it sooner whenever a phone number, address, medical need, school or work arrangement, caregiver, contact person, or meeting place changes. After each update, replace carried and home paper copies and refresh saved digital contacts so the household is not working from conflicting versions.
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Use FEMA’s form as a starting point
Download and fill in FEMA’s Family Emergency Communication Plan. It is a printable form identified as FEMA P-1095, July 2017; its file is currently surfaced at a 2025 URL. Add any details your household needs, then distribute, practice, and maintain the plan.
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