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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →A workable family emergency plan answers three questions before anyone is separated: how will we communicate, where will we reunite, and what will each person do next? Write the answers down, choose meeting places for different levels of disruption, name one out-of-town contact, copy the plan for every household member, and practice it.
Use the free FEMA templates as your starting point, then adapt them to local hazards, accessibility needs, official evacuation instructions, and the emergency procedures at schools, childcare sites, workplaces, and other places your household uses.
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What a family emergency plan must accomplish
An emergency plan is a set of decisions made in advance, not a list of supplies. FEMA’s family template puts the central task plainly: “Before an emergency happens, sit down together and decide how you will get in contact with each other, where you will go and what you will do in an emergency.” You can read the FEMA Family Emergency Plan template and the FEMA Family Emergency Communication Plan document, both free.
Your finished plan should let each person act if the household is split between home, school, work, errands, or travel. It should identify several rendezvous points rather than one supposedly safe address, provide a common person to contact, contain the information that people will need under stress, and be usable without relying on a single phone, internet connection, route, or adult.
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A meeting place is a prearranged rendezvous point. It does not cancel an evacuation order, shelter instruction, road closure, or direction from emergency officials. A location that is sensible for one hazard may be unsafe for another, so the plan must always yield to current official instructions.
1. Start with separation scenarios
Hold a short household discussion when everyone can participate. Ask what happens if an alert arrives while people are in different places, if the usual route home is blocked, or if phone calls fail. The goal is not to predict one disaster; it is to agree on actions that work across likely disruptions in your area.
Questions to settle together
- How will each person know whether to stay where they are, leave, shelter, or go to a meeting place?
- Which communication methods will we try first, and what is the backup if a call does not connect?
- Where will we meet after leaving home quickly?
- Where will we meet if the neighborhood is evacuated while people are away?
- Who is the shared contact outside the area?
- What information does each person need to carry?
- What must children, older adults, or people with disabilities be able to do without an explanation in the moment?
Include every household member in an age-appropriate way. A child does not need to memorize a long script, but should recognize the meeting locations, know how to identify the shared contact, and understand that an unfamiliar instruction from a stranger is not a substitute for directions from a trusted adult or officials.
2. Choose meeting places for different scales of disruption
Use at least two distinct locations: one close enough for a rapid exit from home and another outside the immediate neighborhood. A third, regional option is valuable when the town or surrounding area is affected. FEMA’s child-oriented guide asks the practical questions, “Where will you meet up with your family if you have to get out of your house quickly?” and “Where will you meet if your neighborhood is being evacuated and you’re not at home?”
| Meeting-place category | Use it when | How to choose it | Information to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood spot | You must leave home quickly or have a limited local separation. | Pick a recognizable place close enough to reach safely, such as a trusted neighbor’s home. Avoid a point that could be blocked by the same fire, flood, structural damage, or utility failure affecting your house. | Exact address or landmark, safest walking approach, an alternate approach, and who can provide access if it is private property. |
| Outside the neighborhood | The immediate area is being evacuated or household members cannot return home. | Choose a location beyond the affected area and check it against local evacuation advice. It should be reachable from schools, workplaces, and common travel routes, not just from home. | Address, public-transit or driving options, accessible entrance, nearby hazards, and a second route. |
| Regional or out-of-town location | A wider disaster makes the neighborhood and town unusable as reunion points. | A relative’s or friend’s location can work if everyone knows the address, routes, and how to contact the resident. Confirm that the place is outside the likely impact area. | Full address, host’s telephone numbers, route options, and a backup regional location if the first one is unavailable. |
Test every location against four criteria
- Distance and scale: Does this point match the disruption it is meant to handle, or would everyone still be inside the affected area?
- Trigger: Can the household state the condition that activates it, such as “leave home immediately” versus “the neighborhood is under evacuation instructions”?
- Accessibility: Can people with mobility, sensory, medical, or communication needs use the route and entrance? Note ramps, elevators that may not operate, quiet alternatives, and assistance arrangements.
- How people will get there: Record walking, driving, public-transit, and accessible-route options. Add a route that does not depend on a single bridge or road.
Visit each site in advance and look at it from the perspective of a child or a person moving with limited mobility. A recognizable landmark is useful, but do not rely on a sign, business, or facility remaining open. Meeting places are planning categories, not guarantees of safety during every hazard.
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Write a clear trigger for each place
Ambiguous wording causes delays. Write one sentence for each location, for example: “If we must leave our house immediately and officials have not directed us elsewhere, meet at the agreed neighborhood point.” A second sentence can cover a larger event: “If our neighborhood is evacuated or we cannot return home, follow official instructions and use the outside-the-neighborhood point only when that route and destination are permitted.” The regional location is for a broader disruption or when local reunification is impossible.
3. Select one out-of-town contact
Choose one trusted person who lives far enough away that a local incident is unlikely to affect them. Every household member should be able to contact this person and report who is safe, where they are, and what they plan to do next. The shared contact becomes a common information point when family members cannot reach one another directly.
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Record more than a name
- Full name and relationship to the household.
- Primary mobile and landline numbers, if available.
- Email or another agreed contact method.
- Time zone and usual availability if the person lives in another region.
- The regional meeting-place address, if that person is hosting reunification.
Agree on a short status format before an emergency: each person can send their name, current location, condition, and intended destination. Keep messages brief so they are more likely to send on a congested network. Try a text message first when appropriate, then use a voice call or another agreed method. A message should state whether the sender needs help rather than assuming the recipient can infer it.
4. Build the information sheet
Write down details that are hard to remember under stress. FEMA’s template includes household contacts, meeting places, and regular locations; the communication-plan document provides a structure for keeping the information together. Store only the personal information that your household needs, and protect copies from unauthorized access.
| Information to capture | Examples of useful detail |
|---|---|
| Household members | Legal names, preferred names, mobile numbers, and any communication or language needs. |
| Medical information | Important conditions, allergies, medications, medical-device needs, and clinician or pharmacy contact details. |
| Out-of-town contact | Name, relationship, all agreed phone numbers, email, and time zone. |
| Meeting places | Neighborhood, outside-neighborhood, and regional addresses; triggers; routes; accessibility notes; and alternatives. |
| School and childcare | Street address, main telephone number, release or reunification procedure, authorized pickup rules, and the facility’s evacuation destination when provided. |
| Workplaces | Address, main number, emergency notification method, designated assembly area, and alternate worksite or shelter instructions. |
| Other regular locations | Apartment or dormitory procedures, places of worship, activity venues, caregivers’ addresses, and frequent destinations. |
| Transportation | Vehicle details, accessible transportation arrangements, and who can provide a ride if the normal option is unavailable. |
Do not assume a school or employer will release someone to any adult who arrives. Ask each organization how it handles evacuation, sheltering, communications, authorized pickup, and reunification, then record its instructions rather than creating a conflicting household rule.
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5. Learn the plans for places your household uses
Ready.gov’s Planning for Locations guidance emphasizes tailoring a plan to the places people regularly visit. Contact schools, daycare providers, workplaces, apartment managers, and other venues. Ask questions that reveal what will happen when normal routines stop:
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- Which exits and assembly areas are used?
- How are families notified?
- Where does the organization move people if the building or neighborhood must be cleared?
- What identification or authorization is required for pickup?
- How are accessibility, medication, mobility, language, and communication needs handled?
- What should family members do if they cannot reach the building or if roads are closed?
Save the organization’s emergency number and notification channel. If its plan changes, update the household sheet instead of relying on an old memory or a social-media post.
6. Make the plan reachable when networks are not
Create one central home copy and a carried copy for each person who can safely keep one. A caregiver, trusted relative, or other designated helper can hold an additional copy. Keep the information in a place that is easy to find, but do not leave sensitive medical or contact data visible to visitors.
Digital storage can supplement paper, not replace it. Save a small file on phones for offline access and keep key numbers in each person’s contacts. A charged phone, portable power source, and a written list cover different failure modes. Review the details on a schedule and whenever a phone number, address, school, job, medication, transportation arrangement, or meeting place changes.
The free FEMA forms are sufficient. A family emergency planner or emergency communication plan workbook is optional; it can be useful if your household prefers a bound place to write, copy, and carry information, but no purchased planner is required and a commercial workbook is not an official endorsement.
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7. Practice the plan instead of merely storing it
Practice exposes assumptions while there is time to correct them. A drill should be calm and announced, not a surprise that frightens children or people with trauma histories.
- Run a contact check: Have each person send the agreed short status and location message to the out-of-town contact. Confirm that everyone knows the backup method if a text or call fails.
- Walk the neighborhood route: Start from home and go to the nearby meeting point. Check the route at a time when traffic, construction, or accessibility barriers are visible.
- Rehearse the larger separation: From school, work, or another regular location, identify how the person would reach the outside-neighborhood point while following the organization’s instructions.
- Review the regional option: Each member should be able to state the address and explain at least one route. No one should travel there in defiance of an evacuation or shelter order.
- Use a child-friendly map: Draw home, exits, recognizable landmarks, and the first meeting point. Ask the child to explain the route back to you rather than treating memorization as proof of understanding.
- Debrief: Note confusing wording, inaccessible paths, missing numbers, dead phone batteries, and any rule that conflicts with a school, workplace, building, or official instruction.
Repeat the exercise after a move, a change in school or job, a new medical need, a transportation change, or a significant change in local hazards. A short review each season is easier than rebuilding the plan after a crisis begins.
Use this fill-in worksheet
Copy this structure into the free FEMA form or your own document. Complete every field that applies, and write “not applicable” rather than leaving uncertainty.
| Plan item | Household answer |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood meeting place and trigger | Address/landmark: ____________________ Use when: ____________________ Accessible route: ____________________ |
| Outside-neighborhood meeting place and trigger | Address/landmark: ____________________ Use when: ____________________ Route and alternate: ____________________ |
| Regional or out-of-town location | Address: ____________________ Host and phone: ____________________ Alternate: ____________________ |
| Shared out-of-town contact | Name: ____________________ Mobile: ____________________ Other method: ____________________ |
| Household members | Name, phone, medical or communication notes: ____________________ |
| School or childcare | Address and phone: ____________________ Evacuation/reunification location: ____________________ Pickup rules: ____________________ |
| Work and other regular locations | Address, phone, emergency procedure, and assembly point: ____________________ |
| Plan review date | Next review: ____________________ People holding copies: ____________________ |
Decision rules for common situations
| Situation | First decision | Reunion action |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate danger at home | Leave or shelter as instructed by emergency officials; do not delay to collect paperwork. | Use the neighborhood point only if the route and location are safe and permitted. |
| Neighborhood evacuation | Follow the official route, destination, and transportation instructions. | Use the outside-neighborhood point only when it is outside the affected area and officials have not directed a different destination. |
| People are in school or work | Follow that organization’s emergency procedure instead of attempting an unscheduled pickup. | Use the organization’s reunification process, then the household plan when released. |
| Local communications are overloaded | Try the agreed text or backup method and conserve phone battery. | Report status to the out-of-town contact; do not make repeated calls that prevent brief messages from getting through. |
| Local area is not viable | Follow evacuation or shelter directions and do not drive toward a closed area. | Use the regional option only when travel is authorized and practical. |
Common planning mistakes and fixes
One meeting place for every event
Problem: A single address may be inside the hazard or too far away for a quick exit.
Fix: Keep separate neighborhood, outside-neighborhood, and regional categories, each with its own trigger.
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An address without a route
Problem: People know the destination but not how to reach it if a familiar road, bridge, elevator, or transit line is unavailable.
Fix: Record walking, driving, transit, and accessible alternatives, then practice at least one.
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Only adults know the plan
Problem: A child or dependent person may be separated from the adult who normally explains the next step.
Fix: Use a simple map, recognizable landmarks, repeated practice, and a short status message that the person can send or show.
Relying on a phone number that changed
Problem: An old contact or school number turns the plan into a dead end.
Fix: Schedule reviews and update every carried and central copy when details change.
Ignoring venue procedures
Problem: A family member goes to a school or workplace expecting a handoff that the organization does not allow.
Fix: Ask about evacuation, shelter, notification, authorization, and reunification rules and incorporate those rules into the household plan.
Treating the rendezvous point as automatically safe
Problem: A familiar location may be threatened by the same fire, flood, storm, hazardous release, or structural problem affecting the home.
Fix: Check the destination against current official instructions every time; abandon it when officials direct people elsewhere.
Keep the plan current with official information
Use local emergency-management alerts and the instructions issued during an incident as the authority for evacuation, sheltering, road access, and destinations. The FEMA App: Take Charge of Disasters page, last updated October 29, 2024, is an optional official digital resource for preparedness information and alerts; it does not replace local directions or a paper copy of your household contacts.
Set a review reminder and make the update a household task. Check meeting-place safety, routes, contact numbers, medical details, school and workplace procedures, accessibility arrangements, and who holds copies. If any answer is uncertain, contact the relevant organization before declaring the plan complete.
Final readiness check
- Everyone can explain how to contact the shared out-of-town person.
- The household has a nearby meeting place for a rapid home exit.
- The household has a point outside the neighborhood for a wider local evacuation.
- A regional option exists for a disruption that makes local reunion impossible.
- Each location has a trigger, address, route, alternate, and accessibility notes.
- Names, medical information, contacts, and regular-location details are written down.
- School, childcare, workplace, building, and venue procedures are recorded.
- Copies are available to household members and trusted helpers.
- Children and people with additional needs have practiced their part.
- The household has rehearsed messages, routes, and the decision to follow official instructions instead of a prearranged location.
A plan is ready when a separated household can make the next safe decision without guessing: communicate through the agreed contact, follow current official directions, and reunite at the appropriate meeting place only when that destination and route are safe to use.
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