Make a plan today! Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find.
Step 1: Meet with Your Family
Put a plan together by discussing the questions below with your family, friends or household to start your emergency plan.
- How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?
- What is my shelter plan?
- What is my evacuation route?
- What is my family/household communication plan?
- Do I need to update my emergency preparedness kit?
Step 2: Assess Your Household Needs
As you prepare your plan, customize your plans and supplies to your specific daily living needs and responsibilities. Discuss how people in your network can assist each other with communication, care of children, business, pets or other needs. Consider the following:
- Different ages of members within your household
- Responsibilities for assisting others
- Locations visited frequently
- Dietary needs
- Medical needs including prescriptions and equipment
- Disabilities or access and functional needs including devices and equipment
- Languages spoken
- Cultural and religious considerations
- Pets or service animals
- Households with school-aged children
Step 3: Document Your Plan
Create your family emergency plan quickly and easily using our fillable form.
Make a Family Emergency Plan. Use this form to fill out information that can help your family be prepared. Include important info such as household information, names and contacts of family members, meeting places and medical information.
Step 4: Practice Your Plan
Practice your plan with your household.
Additional Resources
- Family Communication Plan Fillable Card (in Additional Languages)
- Know Your Alerts and Warnings (in Additional Languages)
- 12 Ways to Prepare (in Additional Languages)
- Document and Insure Your Property (in Additional Languages)
- Safeguard Critical Documents and Valuables (in Additional Languages)
- Make a Plan Graphics
- Safeguard Documents and Valuables (PDF)
- Tips for Medications - Graphics
- Save Important Documents to the Cloud - Graphics
- Low and No Cost Preparedness - Graphics
- Emergency Plan for Commuters (PDF)
- Pet Owners (PDF)
- Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (PDF)
Partner Resources