A family emergency plan answers a handful of questions before anyone has to guess. How do we get out, where do we meet, how do we reach each other, who picks up the kids, and where do we go if we have to leave.
Write the answers down on one page and post it where everyone can see it. A short plan that the whole family has read out loud together does more than a long one nobody remembers.
The decisions to make
- Two ways out of every room, and one meeting spot outside the house.
- A backup spot nearby, a spot outside the neighborhood, and a place out of town.
- One out-of-area contact everyone texts to say they are safe.
- Which adult goes to school if it lets out early and you cannot get there.
- The room you go to when it is safer to stay home, and supplies for at least three days.
- What you grab, where you go and which road you take if you have to leave town.
How to make it stick
- Fill it in over a few evenings, one topic at a time.
- Read the finished page out loud together once, then post it on the fridge.
- Give a copy to anyone who looks after your kids.
- Practice twice a year, on two dates you will not miss, like the days the clocks change.
Free pages to print
Our one-page plan
A blank single page you can print and fill in by hand.
Where we'll meet
A blank single page you can print and fill in by hand.
Numbers to know
A blank single page you can print and fill in by hand.
General information for families, not legal, medical or financial advice. In an emergency, follow local officials and call 911.
Related questions
All planning answersPrinting page by page?
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