Make A Plan
Emergency Contacts
Most families are not together during the day. Parents are at work, children may be at school or working afternoon jobs. You may be trapped at the office or traveling outside of the state when disaster strikes. Make sure you and your family members know where and how to get in touch with each other. You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare, school, place of worship etc....
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Every family two emergency contact persons, one local and one from out of town. Your local contact will be your family's central communications point during a disaster, helping you locate family members, reporting on your situation and providing information about recovery efforts, and available help. Family members should call this person and tell them where they are.
After a disaster, it may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact might be in a better position to communicate among separated family members. For each contact person, you will need to know their: ​
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First and last names
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Cell phone and home telephone number
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E-mail address and any additional means of contact like social media accounts​
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Be sure every member of your family knows the phone numbers of the emergency contacts. Post the numbers by each home phone and make wallet cards for each family member. Remember that cell phones should not be counted on as a reliable source of communication during a disaster. Cell towers may be disabled, or cell phone services overwhelmed and of little use.
Decide on a neighborhood meeting place and an out-of-town location where your family will meet after a disaster. A good meeting place might be a tree, telephone pole, mailbox, or a neighbor’s home. Scroll to the bottom of this page for a downloadable PDF to get you started.
Emergency Wallet Cards
Creating an emergency card and placing it in your wallet, purse or child's backpack will ensure that everyone has the contact and meeting place information with them.
List your emergency contacts and meeting places on an index card, give one to each family member and instruct everyone to always keep the card with them.
Family Meeting Places &
Evacuation Routes
Pick places where your family will meet if you can't return home after an emergency. Choose two locations: one outside of the immediate area and another place near your home. Learn local evacuation routes and alternate escape routes if major roadways are closed or impassable. All fires are a serious threat, so know and practice two fire escape routes from your house.
Get to Know Your Neighbors
It's important to know your neighbors in the event of an emergency or disaster situation. Get to know them by joining your Neighborhood Association, host a National Night Out event in your neighborhood, or simply walk door to door and meet them. Make sure ONLY a trusted neighbor and friend has a spare key to your home, and knows where to find spare keys for your cars, recreational vehicles, and safe deposit box. It would be a good idea to let your neighbors know about your emergency plan and encourage them to create one for their family, too.
Let's Gather Our Critical Information
Gathering critical information and sharing it with your family is important and can prove to be extremely helpful in an emergency. Click the link to access a pdf outline to use as a guide for making your own emergency contact plan. Then, store it in a place that is easily accessible during a crisis. Also, a specific plan should be created for children in childcare or school, older adults and other immediate family members who need special assistance.