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Emergency contact cards that fit a wallet

If phones are flat or the network is down, nobody remembers a number. Fill this in once, print a sheet, and put a card in every wallet, school bag and glovebox.

Nothing you type is saved or sent. It stays on this page until you close it.

1. Your household
2. People and their numbers

Up to six. Add a work or school number in place of a mobile if that is the one that gets answered.

3. One contact who lives out of town

Everyone checks in with this person, who passes messages on.

4. Where to meet
5. One more line (optional)

Preview. Prints at the size of a bank card (85.6 by 54 mm).

After printing: cut along the dashed lines, then cover each card front and back with clear packing tape so it survives a wet pocket. Write the date on the back. When a number changes, print a new sheet and swap them all at once.

Why these five things

The card follows the family communication plan that Ready.gov recommends: household numbers, a contact outside your area, and agreed places to meet. The out-of-town contact is the part people skip. After a local emergency a long-distance call can get through when a call across town does not, so one person far away becomes the message board for everyone.

Two meeting places cover the two situations that actually happen: you have to get out of the house quickly, or you are all somewhere else and cannot get back to it.

The same card on a phone, plus the rest of the plan

Family Ready on iPhone showing an emergency card

A paper card is the backup. Family Ready: Emergency Plan is the iPhone app for the version you keep up to date:

  • A free Emergency Card with who to call first, allergies and current medications, saved on the phone so it opens without internet once the phone is unlocked
  • Emergency Mode: one tap to a large-text, high-contrast screen
  • An editable kit checklist based on Ready.gov and Get Prepared (Canada) guidance
  • A dated Emergency Snapshot you can print for free

Get Family Ready on the App Store

Free to download for iPhone; the Emergency Card never needs a subscription. Some printable packs and sharing need Family Ready Plus. Details taken from the app's App Store description, checked 10 November 2026.

Questions

What should go on a family emergency contact card?

The phone numbers of the people in your household, one contact who lives out of town, a meeting place close to home and a second one outside your neighbourhood. Ready.gov's family communication plan asks for the same things.

Why an out-of-town contact?

After a local emergency it can be easier to reach someone far away than someone across town. If everyone knows to check in with the same out-of-town person, that person can pass messages along.

Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?

No. The cards are built in your browser and nothing is stored or transmitted. Closing or reloading the page clears every field.