Family emergency plan — contacts, documents and meeting points

A family emergency plan answers ordinary questions before a difficult day: whom do we contact, where do we meet, who collects the children and where are the papers we may need? It should fit on a few pages, be available offline and make sense to every person named in it.

Ready.gov recommends planning how the household will receive warnings, shelter, evacuate, communicate and update its emergency kit. The best plan is specific enough to use and short enough to practice.

Start with the family emergency plan checklist or take the family readiness score to find the first gap. This guide explains why each decision belongs in the plan.

Build a contact chain that works offline

List each household member's mobile number, school or workplace contact, an emergency contact and one person outside the local area. Ready.gov recommends an out-of-town contact who can serve as a central point when household members cannot reach one another locally. Ask that person first and give them a copy of the plan.

Print the list. Put one copy in the household kit and smaller cards in bags or wallets. Include addresses as well as names: stress makes familiar details hard to recall, and a dead phone removes the address book. Review the list when a number, school, job or caregiver changes.

Agree on a simple message format: who you are, where you are, whether you are safe and where you are going. Send a text when networks are busy unless authorities instruct otherwise, then stop repeated calls that drain the battery.

Choose two clear meeting points

Select a visible, familiar point close to home for a fire or other event that forces everyone outside: a particular tree, gate or neighbor's home is clearer than “near the building.” It must be far enough from the immediate hazard and accessible to everyone in the household.

Choose a second point outside the neighborhood for a wider evacuation or when no one can return home. Use a named library, community building, place of worship or trusted person's home. Record the full address and at least two routes. Check whether pets are allowed and whether the place works for mobility or sensory needs.

The meeting point is a default, not an order to cross danger. Official instructions and immediate safety always come first. The evacuation checklist covers the decisions that begin once leaving is necessary.

Keep essential documents reachable

Gather copies of identity documents, insurance details, key medical information, prescriptions, household and vehicle records, and school or care arrangements. Add contact details for banks, insurers, utilities and clinicians. Store paper copies in a portable waterproof folder and protect any digital copy with appropriate encryption and a strong password.

Do not depend on one cloud account or one phone. Tell another trusted adult where the folder is and how it should leave with the household. Review dates and replace obsolete pages at least annually and after major life changes.

Plan calmly with children

Explain the plan in simple, concrete language: emergencies are unusual, adults have prepared, and the child has a few jobs they can practice. Avoid asking a child to make adult safety decisions. Their tasks might be putting on shoes, taking an identification card, going to the agreed point and following a teacher or named caregiver.

Confirm the school's emergency contact and release policy. Write who is authorized to collect each child and choose backups. Children without phones should know to follow instructions from a responsible adult such as a teacher. An age-appropriate identification card should include the child's name and caregiver contact, without displaying unnecessary private information.

Practice as a calm walk-through rather than a frightening scenario. Let children ask questions, use familiar landmarks, and finish with the family reunited. A comfort item in the 72-hour kit can help during a real delay.

Account for daily needs

Add prescriptions, mobility devices, communication aids, charging requirements, service animals and pet transport. Note who carries each item and what happens if that person is away. Ask neighbors or relatives whether they can help, and record the arrangement instead of assuming it.

Practice and update

Walk to both meeting points, send the agreed test message and let every household member find the paper contacts and document folder. A drill should expose small practical problems: a locked gate, an inaccessible route, an outdated phone number.

Repeat after a move, school change or change in care needs, and otherwise review the plan on a regular household date. Keep the final version short. In an emergency, a clear page everyone has practiced will outperform a detailed binder nobody can find.

Frequently asked questions

How many meeting points should a family choose?

Choose at least one familiar place near home and another outside the neighborhood. Add an indoor shelter location if local hazards make one necessary.

What should children know about the plan?

Children should know their full name, caregivers' names, one contact method, who may collect them and which trusted adult's instructions to follow if separated.