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Make a family emergency plan you can print
Answer two questions for your household: who do we call, and where do we meet? You get one clear page for the fridge, laid out the way Ready.gov's own plan is.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Stays in this browser
- Prints blank too, if you'd rather write by hand
Your plan
Want pocket copies as well? Our wallet card maker prints those.
Three things to do once it's printed
- Put copies where they'll be found. Post one on the fridge or the family notice board, and give everyone a copy to carry in a wallet, purse or school bag. Ready.gov asks for both.
- Save the two key numbers in every phone. Add your first-call person under “ICE” (in case of emergency) and add the out-of-town contact. Make a group text with everyone on the plan.
- Practice once. Walk to the neighborhood meeting spot together. Have each person text the out-of-town contact something short, like “I'm OK. At library.” A text often gets through when a call won't.
Sources: Ready.gov, Make a Plan; FEMA, Create Your Family Emergency Communication Plan (PDF); FEMA P-1095, Family Emergency Communication Plan card (PDF).
Questions people ask
What goes in a family emergency plan?
Ready.gov's plan has four parts: household contact details, an in-case-of-emergency contact, one out-of-town contact everyone checks in with, and four meeting places (indoors, in the neighborhood, outside the neighborhood and out of town). This maker uses the same parts.
Why an out-of-town contact?
FEMA's planning guide says it may be easier to make a long-distance call than to call across town in a disaster, because local lines can be jammed. Everyone contacts the same person, who passes messages along.
Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?
It's saved only in this browser's own storage, so you can come back and reprint. Nothing is uploaded and there's no account. “Clear everything” wipes it.
Why no birth dates or Social Security numbers?
Because a wallet card gets lost. The plan needs phone numbers and meeting places to work; identity numbers add risk and no help. Keep those with your documents.
How often should we update it?
Whenever a phone number, school or address changes, and at least once a year. Ready.gov also says to hold regular household meetings to review and practice the plan.
More for your household
- 7-day family emergency plan challenge (printable)A 7-day family emergency plan challenge for a new home: one 20-minute task a day, a free printable tracker, a Ready.gov kit list and an offline card.
- Emergency kit checklist builder (printable)Enter how many adults, children, babies and pets are in your home. Get a printable emergency kit checklist based on Ready.gov, with water and food amounts worked out.
- Make printable emergency contact wallet cardsType your family's phone numbers and two meeting places, then print wallet-size emergency cards for every bag and pocket. Nothing you type leaves the page.
- Emergency water storage calculatorHow much emergency water to store for your household: enter people and days, get gallons, bottles, jugs, weight and a replace-by date. Based on Ready.gov.
In an emergency, call your local emergency number first. Honest Little Apps makes Family Ready and wrote this page.