FAMILY Emergency Plan

Building a Family Emergency Plantime to plan

A Family Emergency Plan is a logical and straight forward plan that should include supply kits in order to be self-sufficient for food, water, first aid, medications, and communication.  Plan to cover your family, pets, and livestock for two weeks (or longer, in the case of a large scale event).  Talk to your neighbors to encourage them to have their own emergency kits ready for their families too.

Use the following printable check list forms to create your Family Emergency Plan:

Food and Water:  Your Home Emergency Plan should include food and water for a minimum of 2 weeks to 30 days.  If your well and pipes are fractured, electricity is down, you cannot count on using your well water.  Back-up water supply and water filtration systems will be needed.  Plan for at least one gallon of potable water per person, per day.  Have other sources of heat such as a camp stove, camp fire, propane or briquette BBQ, for preparing food.

Family Emergency Communications Plan:  When a disaster occurs, family members may be away from home and you will naturally want to communicate with each other, as well as contact significant people such as parents, siblings, etc.  However in a disaster, land-based phones, cell phones, and internet communications may be disrupted and overwhelmed almost immediately.  Incoming phone calls to the affected area code may be shut down to facilitate emergency operations.  If cell towers are still functional, a quick text may be your best option as it takes less signal to send than voice calls.

Ask an out-of-town relative or friend to be your “emergency contact.”  Your contact should live outside of the affected area, preferably in another part of the country.  Create a plan for all family members to check in with them.  The emergency contact can relay information between family members.  This will keep incoming local lines open for emergency personnel, while providing you with a better success rate of getting a message out.  Program the emergency contact in everyone’s cell phones.

Create a Children’s Plan:   Create a plan for where your children will go, and an emergency contact person whom they will call.  Check with their schools, daycare and activity centers to learn what their emergency protocols are.

Establish a Family Meeting Place:  Establish a meeting place in case you are not able to communicate by email or phone.  For example, you might have one meeting place at a neighbors, one at or near the school/daycare, and one at work, when not at home.

Pets and Livestock:  Make sure your animals have enough water in storage tanks or large filled water troughs and a supply of food and any medications they take.

Home Escape Route:  Make a simple drawing of your homes floor plan and indicate the major points of escape.  Determine what items you will need to make escape possible, such as a rope or chain ladder, pry bars, slides, flashlights and headlamps.  Store these items in a central location in your home for all family members to access.

Yearly Review:  Refresh your Home Emergency Supply Kit and its contents to ensure that food, water and batteries have not expired.  Also check the information in your Family Preparedness Wallet Card, Emergency Phone Contact List and other important documents to make sure the information is current and correct.

Information Resources:  Information is available at the following web sites to assist you in preparing your own Family Plan.  Click on the links below.

Plan it – Practice it – Follow it

Start building your Family Emergency Plan today!