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Make a written plan before an emergency: choose an out-of-town contact and two meeting places, collect household and school or work details, decide how to communicate if calls fail, and give everyone an accessible copy. Then practice the plan and update it when people, places, or needs change.
1. Gather the information your family will need
Start with a contact sheet for each household member. Include phone numbers and other useful contact details, then add the people or organizations family members may need to reach during a disruption.
- Household members, including children and caregivers
- Schools, childcare providers, and workplaces
- Doctors, care providers, and other service providers
- Trusted support people who may help with communication, transportation, or care
Keep more than one way to reach your designated out-of-town contact where possible. FEMA’s Are You Ready? guide recommends collecting contact information beyond family phone numbers, including school, medical, and service contacts.
2. Choose a contact and two meeting places
Choose an out-of-town contact
Agree on someone who lives outside your area and can relay brief updates if local communications are disrupted. Make sure each household member knows who this person is and how to reach them. An out-of-town contact is a relay option, not a guarantee that a call or message will go through.
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Choose nearby and regional meeting points
Pick one meeting place close to home and another farther away, such as a regional location you could reach if you cannot return home. Discuss how each person would get to both places and what to do if a planned route is unavailable. FEMA’s Family Communication Plan for Kids includes neighborhood and regional meeting-place planning.
3. Account for school, work, and other regular destinations
Household members may be at school, childcare, work, or another regular destination when an emergency happens. Ask those organizations about their emergency, communication, and evacuation procedures. Add relevant addresses, contact details, and evacuation arrangements to your family plan so members know how those plans fit with your meeting places.
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For children, discuss who is authorized to pick them up and how the school or childcare provider will share instructions. Follow the organization’s own procedures rather than assuming a family member can enter or collect someone during an incident.
4. Decide how to communicate when networks are busy or unavailable
Agree on more than one workable method where possible, while recognizing that no phone or internet method is guaranteed during an emergency. FEMA’s Family Emergency Communication Planning Document says: “Text is best when using a mobile phone, but if you make a phone call, keep it brief and convey only vital information to emergency personnel and/or family or household members.”
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- Try an agreed text message when mobile voice calls are congested; keep it short and specific.
- If you call, share only essential information, such as your location, status, and next step.
- Wait before trying again rather than repeatedly redialing, and conserve phone battery.
- Keep charged batteries or a car phone charger available if appropriate; a portable power bank is one optional way to support phone availability.
Treat texting as a useful option, not a promise that the network will carry a message. Follow local emergency instructions and use emergency services for urgent threats to life or safety.
5. Make the plan accessible to everyone who may need it
Put the plan where household members can use it: keep a shared copy at home, and give each person a digital copy or a compact wallet card. Share it with relevant caregivers or support people as appropriate. FEMA’s preparedness guide describes carrying a digital or wallet-card copy and keeping a home copy.
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For a family member with a disability or access and functional need, plan with that person and their support network. Include their preferred communication method, assistive devices and power needs, medications or care arrangements relevant to evacuation, and accessible transportation or backup routes. FEMA’s guidance for people with disabilities and other access and functional needs emphasizes personal support networks and communication planning. Make sure the plan reflects what the individual can and wants to do, rather than relying on an assumed standard route or method.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.6. Practice, review, and update the plan
Rehearse who contacts whom, what message to send, and where household members would meet. Include children in an age-appropriate way and check that everyone can find the plan and use the contact details. FEMA’s family communication materials recommend practice and review at least annually.
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Review it sooner whenever phone numbers, addresses, schools, work sites, care providers, transportation, or household needs change. During a local emergency, follow instructions from local authorities and the organizations responsible for schools, workplaces, or care.
Quick Recap
Family emergency communication plan checklist
- Household member and key outside contact details are recorded.
- Everyone knows the out-of-town contact and how to reach them.
- A nearby and a regional meeting place are agreed, with routes considered.
- School, childcare, workplace, and care-provider procedures are included.
- Text, brief-call, and backup communication options are discussed.
- Accessible copies are available at home and to household members and relevant support people.
- Disability-related communication, device power, care, and transportation needs are addressed.
- The plan has been practiced and has a date for its next review.
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