Make an Emergency Plan
Emergencies can happen when you are at home, at work, at school, or on the road. A household emergency plan helps you know how to stay in touch, where to go, and what to do when normal routines are disrupted.
Your plan does not need to be complicated. Start with the people in your household, the places you spend time, and the things each person may need during an emergency.
Make sure everyone in your household knows what to do if an emergency happens. Talk about how you would respond if you had to leave quickly, stay where you are, or could not get home.
Discuss:
- How you will contact each other
- Where you will meet if you are separated
- Who may need extra help
- What each person should take with them
- What you would do if cell phones, internet, or power are not working
Include children, older adults, roommates, caregivers, and anyone else who may be part of your household plan.
Choose people your household can contact during an emergency. Include at least one contact who lives outside your area. During some disasters, local phone lines may be busy or unavailable, but calls or texts to someone outside the affected area may go through.
Write down:
- Names and phone numbers
- Email addresses
- Medical contacts
- School, childcare, or workplace contacts
- An out-of-town emergency contact
Make sure everyone in your household has a copy of the contact list. Keep one copy in your phone and one printed copy in your home, vehicle, wallet, backpack, or emergency kit.
Choose places where your household can meet if you are separated or cannot return home.
Pick:
- A place near your home
- A place outside your neighborhood
- A place outside your community, if you need to leave the area
Make sure everyone knows how to get there. Talk about what you would do if roads are closed, public transportation is not available, or someone does not have access to a vehicle.
Some emergencies may require you to leave quickly. Know where you could go and how you would get there.
Think about:
- More than one route out of your neighborhood.
- Where you could stay with family, friends, or at a shelter.
- How you would transport children, pets, older adults, or people with mobility needs?
- What you would take with you?
- How you would secure your home before leaving, if there is time.
Don’t wait until an emergency to decide where you would go. Having a plan can help you act faster and reduce stress.
In some emergencies, it may be safer to stay where you are. This may mean staying at home, at work, at school, or in another safe location until conditions improve.
Think about what you would need if you had to stay in place without power, water, internet, or other services.
Plan for:
- Food and water.
- Medications and medical supplies.
- Flashlights and batteries.
- Phone chargers and backup power.
- Important documents.
- Supplies for children, pets, or medical needs.
- Ways to stay warm or cool safely.
Follow instructions from local officials during an emergency. If you are told to evacuate, leave as directed. If you are told to shelter in place, stay where you are and take steps to protect yourself.
Emergencies may happen when your household is not together. Think about the places where people in your household spend time.
Consider plans for:
- Home
- Work
- School
- Childcare
- College or campus housing
- Places of worship
- Community centers
- Vehicles
- Frequent travel routes
Know the emergency plans for schools, workplaces, care facilities, and other places your household depends on.
Every household is different. Your plan should include the people, responsibilities, and daily needs that matter most to you.
Think about:
- Medications and medical equipment
- Mobility needs
- Communication needs
- Children and infants
- Older adults
- Pets and service animals
- Transportation needs
- Dietary needs
- Caregiving responsibilities
- Important documents
- Financial and insurance information
Make sure your plan reflects what your household would actually need during an emergency.
For more information and ideas about certain needs, visit our Prepare for Your Situation page.
Before you finish your household plan, take time to think through a few steps that can make your plan easier to use during an emergency.
Keep Information Easily Accessible
Keep important information in a place you can reach quickly. Store copies in more than one format when possible, such as printed copies in a waterproof folder and secure digital copies you can access from your phone or another device.
Important information may include:
- Identification
- Insurance information
- Medical information
- Medication lists
- Emergency contacts
- Pet records
- Copies of important household documents
- Bank, lease, mortgage, or utility information
- School, child care, or caregiving information
Make sure someone you trust knows where to find this information if you are unable to access it yourself.
Practice and Update Your Plan
Writing down a plan is an important first step, but a plan works best when the people in your household understand it before an emergency happens.
After you create your plan, take time to talk through it with the people who may need to use it. Make sure everyone knows how to contact each other, where to meet, what to take, and what to do if you have to leave, stay where you are, or cannot get home.
Take time to:
- Review emergency contacts
- Talk through meeting places
- Practice how you would communicate if cell service is limited
- Check emergency supplies
- Review plans for children, pets, medical needs, and transportation
- Make sure important information is easy to find
Update your plan when your household, work, school, health, caregiving, transportation, or living situation changes.
Start Small
You do not have to complete your entire household plan all at once. Even one small step can make it easier to respond during an emergency.
Start with the part of your plan that feels most important for your household right now. You can always come back and add more details later.
Small steps you can take today include:
- Save emergency contacts in your phone
- Write down an out-of-town contact
- Choose a meeting place
- Talk with your household about where you would go
- Take photos of important documents
- Check your school, workplace, or child care emergency plan
- Set a reminder to review your plan later
Preparedness is easier when it is done one step at a time. Start with what you can do today, then build from there.
Next step: Once your household plan is started, gather the supplies and essentials you may need if you have to stay home, leave quickly, or go without power.