Creating your Family Emergency Communication Plan starts with one simple question:
“What if?”
“What if something happens and I’m not with my family?” “Will I be able to reach them?” “How will I know they are safe?”
“How can I let them know I’m OK?” During a disaster, you will need to send and receive information
from your family.
Communication networks, such as mobile phones and computers, could be unreliable during disasters, and electricity could be disrupted. Planning in advance will help ensure that all the members of your household—including children and people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, as well as outside caregivers—know how to reach each other and where to meet up in an emergency. Planning starts with three easy steps:
1. COLLECT.
Create a paper copy of the contact information for your family and otherimportant people/offices, such as medical facilities, doctors, schools, or service providers.
2. SHARE.
Make sure everyone carries a copy in his or her backpack, purse, or wallet. If you complete your Family Emergency Communication Plan online at ready.gov/make-a-plan, you can print it onto a wallet-sized card. You should also post a copy in a central location in your home, such as you refrigerator or family bulletin board.
3. PRACTICE.
Have regular household meetings to review and practice your plan. If you are using a mobile phone, a text message may get through when a phone call will not. This is because a text message requires far less bandwidth than a phone call. Text messages may also save and then send automatically as soon as capacity becomes available.
The following sections will guide you through the process to create and practice your Family Emergency Communication Plan.
Click on the link to access the following sections to learn more on how to create your Family Emergency Communication Plan
