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World desk3 min

How to Make a Family Communication Plan for Emergencies

Plan ahead for family separation in an emergency: choose contacts and meeting places, record household and care arrangements, keep copies accessible, and practice check-ins.
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A family emergency communication plan is a shared, written set of contacts, meeting places and check-in steps everyone can use if you are separated. Decide the plan together, record household and school or work arrangements, keep it on paper and on phones, practice it, and review it at least once a year. FEMA provides a free fillable Family Emergency Communication Plan form to get started.

1. Talk through the plan before an emergency

Gather household members and the people who help care for them. Include children in an age-appropriate way so they know whom to contact, where to go and what to do if the household is apart. Ask schools, daycare providers, workplaces and apartment management about their own emergency arrangements; do not assume their pickup, evacuation or reunification procedures match yours.

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FEMA’s Family Emergency Plan template recommends making these decisions together before an emergency happens. Use the discussion to agree on one shared out-of-town contact, meeting points and a simple check-in method.

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2. Choose contacts and meeting places

Pick an out-of-town contact

Choose someone outside your local area whom each household member can contact. During a local emergency, a person outside the affected area may be easier to reach than someone nearby. Record the contact’s name, phone number and email address, and make sure the contact agrees to the role. Each person should know how to reach them.

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Set two meeting points

  • Nearby: Choose a familiar place close to home where household members can meet if they cannot safely enter or return to the house.
  • Farther away: Choose a regional or out-of-town location for situations where the neighborhood or local area is unsafe or evacuation prevents a return home.

Write down each location’s street address and discuss how household members could get there. Keep the plan realistic for children, older adults, people with disabilities and anyone who may need assistance traveling.

3. Record household, care and location details

Use FEMA’s free fillable communication plan form as a starting point. It asks for household names and contact methods, important medical or other information, and emergency and pickup details for schools, childcare, caregivers and workplaces.

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  • Household members’ names, reliable phone numbers, email addresses and any agreed alternative contact method.
  • Medical or other important information a caregiver or responder may need. Keep sensitive details protected and share them only with people who need them.
  • The out-of-town contact’s name and contact details, plus both meeting places and their addresses.
  • School, childcare, caregiver, workplace and other frequently visited locations: names, addresses, phone numbers, emergency or evacuation procedures, and child-pickup instructions.
  • Important service contacts your household may need, such as emergency services, utilities, medical providers, a veterinarian and insurers.

Confirm emergency and pickup procedures directly with each school, care provider and workplace. A household plan is more useful when it reflects the arrangements those organizations actually use.

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4. Keep the plan accessible in more than one format

Save key contacts on phones or other devices and identify at least one emergency contact as “ICE” (“In Case of Emergency”). Also print copies: give each household member a copy to carry in a wallet, backpack or purse, and keep a household copy somewhere accessible at home. FEMA advises both carrying paper copies and saving contacts on devices.

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Paper can remain available when a phone is lost, uncharged or inaccessible; phone contacts are easier to update. Neither should be the sole copy. Share medical and other sensitive information carefully rather than leaving it exposed unnecessarily. FEMA’s form can be printed for free; a small card or sleeve is optional, not required.

5. Agree on check-ins and practice them

Decide how members will check in, including calls, texts or a group message. Practice reaching the out-of-town contact and sending a group text. Agree on a short message that covers safety and location, such as “I’m OK. At library.” Make sure everyone who relies on a phone knows how to send a text, and decide what to do if texting or another chosen method is unavailable. Include a workable alternative for anyone who cannot use that method.

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6. Review the plan and keep it current

Review the information at least once a year, as FEMA recommends, and update it sooner when details change. Check phone numbers, addresses, medical needs, schools, work arrangements, caregivers, meeting places and the emergency procedures of organizations your household depends on. After an update, replace old paper copies and make sure device-stored contacts match.

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