Creating a family emergency communication plan is crucial for connecting with loved ones in a crisis, yet it’s an often overlooked piece of preparedness. Use these step-by-step instructions to create your family’s emergency communication plan and fill this gap in your preparedness planning.
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During the horrific Hamas attack on young concert-goers on October 7, 2023, the first thing they did once they realized what was happening was to run…the second was to call for help. That is, IF the network wasn’t from being overloaded. Communication is an overlooked preparedness and survival action and yet it’s almost the first thing all of us do in a crisis.
In This Post
What is a Family Emergency Communication Plan?
A family emergency communications plan is an action plan that tells each family member who to contact and where to meet in the event of an emergency. It documents the process for family members to reach each other, make sure everyone is okay, and figure out how and where to meet.
It’s that simple.
If you lay out your plan ahead of time, you can avoid (some of) the chaos and panic that ensues during a crisis. An action plan allows you to skip the paralysis stage and jump into action.
Big picture overview: collect emergency information, share it with member of the plan, and practice it!
Here are the steps to make your own plan.
How to Create a Family Emergency Communication Plan
Time needed will vary by family but will likely take at least 1 day
A family emergency communications plan is an action plan that tells each family member who to contact and where to meet in the event of an emergency. It documents the process for family members to reach each other, make sure everyone is okay, and figure out how and where to meet.
- Identify emergency contacts
You probably have more emergency contacts than you realize. Take time to consider all the people or institutions you will want to contact in case of an emergency. It may include:
-immediate family
-extended family members
-close friends
-childcare
-school
-a parent’s care home
-healthcare providers for those with health issues or a disability
Think of the people who depend on you and/or on whom you depend. These are the contacts to include on your list. - Make hard copies of contact information
Write out or print your emergency phone numbers list on note cards or paper. Make the list a size that will fit into wallets and purses easily. Distribute them to each member of your family. Also put copies in your vehicles, Go Bags, and your grab-and-go binder.
- Add emergency contacts in each phone
Preset and label emergency contacts in each family member’s phone. Do not assume that everyone, especially the youngest, have all the emergency contacts. Hard copies are a backup, but it’s even quicker to have numbers in everyone’s phone already. Put in addresses as well–especially if one of your emergency contacts is also a meet up location.
- Memorize critical numbers
Memorize the most critical numbers, if at all possible. This is hard in today’s number and password heavy world. However, in the unlikely event that both your phone AND your emergency contact list are unavailable to you, dredging up at least one phone number could be a lifesaver. Work with younger children to help them learn them also; adding music and turning it into a game will help.
- Determine primary emergency contacts(s)
Decide which family member will be the main contact. In most cases this will be mom or dad, but families can be complicated, blended and extended. It will simplify matters if you name a primary contact (and maybe a secondary). You probably already know who this person should be, but if not, then choose the one most likely to have their phone with them and be available.
- Choose the remote designated contact(s)
Choose one or two people outside of your state or geographical region to act as the designated remote contact. If an emergency is spread over a large territory—think earthquake, flood or hurricane–cell networks may go down in one or more states. If this is the case, you will want to have at least one reliable person outside of your area that will act as everyone’s remote emergency contact. Also, read this post to consider alternative methods to communicate after a disaster depending on the state of the cell network.
It’s best to choose someone who is unlikely to be a part of the same natural disasters that happen in your area. - Identify safe and easy to find locations
Designate several meeting places in case you need to leave your home and communications are down. Remember in the days before cell phones when we designated a spot in the mall where everyone was to meet if anyone got lost? This is the same idea. Set prearranged meeting points in case you can’t get through to each other. This is especially important in case all communications are down for an extended period of time.
When choosing meeting places, identify the most likely emergencies for your area and then designate locations that are safe and easy to find. Set at least four locations that are successively farther away from your home, such as:
–A neighborhood meeting place that is a landmark or neighbor’s house close by in case your home is unsafe.
–A local meeting point that is outside of your neighborhood, but still close. Perhaps a friend or family member’s home in your town or a well-known local landmark.
–An out-of-town location that is farther out, but still relatively accessible. For example, a family member’s home in the next town or the closest city. Maybe there is a -location where you fish or camp regularly that everyone knows how to get to.
–An out-of-state location in case an event is more widespread. Ideally choose a place that everyone has visited before. Show everyone where it is on a map so they can find it in case maps apps are down. It should also be a place where you are all welcome to shelter for a period of time. Think family or close friend. - Incorporate other emergency communication plans
Look for and incorporate the emergency communications plans of the institutions that interact with your family. Businesses like your children’s childcare, school, college, your workplace, or assisted living homes for parents all have emergency communications plans set up. You may have to ask for it, but they most likely have one. Take these and incorporate them into your plans so everyone is on the same page.
- Practice the plan
Practice the plan! Do a few “fire drills” to make sure everyone has the correct contacts in their phone and understands where the various meeting places are. Do not assume everyone knows which “favorite restaurant” or “church down the street” you are talking about. Meet up at the various places to make sure.
Above all, each family or household needs some sort of emergency power backup. Backup power for phones and communication can be as simple as a relatively inexpensive power bank.
Expert Tip
zMake sure your family emergency plan has backup ways to talk if phones don’t work. Phone apps like Zello can keep lines of communication open, even in emergencies. This helps you stay connected and informed during a crisis when cell phones might not be reliable.
Make sure you have these alerts and emergency apps on your phone to help you stay informed and safe during emergencies.
A communications plan is especially critical if family members are traveling abroad — here’s what else to prepare before any international trip.
FAQ
A plan should include emergency contact information, identify meeting places, and the process that will be followed to execute the plan.
Contact the facility and inquire about their emergency communication plan. Review their plan and incorporate relevant pieces into your own so that you’re on the same page.
Absolutely! Review the school’s communication plan and incorporate relevant pieces into your own so that you’re on the same page. If the college is out-of-state, your student might be a good candidate to act as a remote emergency contact. Read more in this post about preparing your student for campus emergencies.
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Next Steps
Once you have an emergency communication plan in place for your family, consider taking it to the next level and get your ham radio license. You can also join the Facebook Survival Mom Bootcamp group and ask questions or search the group for previously answered questions. Many Bootcampers have gotten their license and are super willing to share their experience!
In a true grid-down or EMP situation, I’m not going to be able to communicate with family:
Unfortunately, there is nothing except for ham radio, that would allow me to communicate with my two daughters, 600 and 1600 miles away. Then I would have to get all of us radios as well as classes to use. So, I’m stuck. AND I understand that repeaters are necessary to go more than a few miles also…
For simple localized issues, these might be good ideas, but not for a true, grid-down or other disaster that includes an entire continent or the world.
Carol, in my opinion, the EMP scenario is one of the least likely. So, set that aside and focus on multiple ways to stay in touch.
EMP is low on the concerns [it is LEAST likely to happen] . IF on the other hand you look at the EFFECTS of such and the work arounds you will be ready for more situations. Given the kids are out of town a relatively economical work around does REQUIRE a robust COMMS PLAN. With real cheap [economical] radios in 2M/70cm [Baofeng UV5R for example] and a directional antenna [yogi for example] you CAN talk at those distances. A friend talked from Northern CO to Alaska with such a set up on ONE WATT of power and no repeater. They bounced the signals off of the moon. DO NOT get over whelmed – take small steps which build up to bigger preps. HUMMMmmm sounds like scriptures – line upon line ;] BTW, Lisa has great information.
You are correct in your assessment. I’ve been saying for years that the EMP depicted in popular fiction is far less likely than sabotage or a small-scale attack on something like a sub-station. (That’s already happened.) People get frozen in fear when they read prepper/survival novels because there simply isn’t a way to prepare for the end of all civilization. The odds of that happening? I’d say close to 0%. However, recently in NYC multiple apartments were discovered with vast amounts of technology capable of taking down all communication. Couple that with something like a terrorist attack or even a severe natural disaster, and you would have nearly the same effects as an EMP.
2 more to research before going ham:
FRS band radios are available online, Walmart, HD & Lowes, and at most hunting / outdoors / sporting goods stores – no license needed.
GMRS radio mode operates at a much higher level, are programmable, customizable, longer range and can be found for the same price as FRS radios. GMRS radio use does not require any test, but does require a license from the FCC for $35 – which covers ALL of your immediate (and extended?) family, and is good for 10 years! THIS is the way to start.
And as Rich mentioned, the BaoFeng UV-5R is great – it is the biggest selling radio in world history (which means tons of support & accessories!). Technically it is an HF (ham) transceiver, BUT It will cover the FRS / GMRS overlapping frequencies as well, AND you will easily learn to use “repeaters” to throw your GMRS signal out +50 miles (I’ve hit 82 miles off our Dallas 600 repeater).
PLUS, if you ever do want to get your ham license(s), you’ve already got a radio that’ll go the distance (the UV5R Mini for the kids is cute as sin!).
Have fun & learn!