Families
Planning Together for Any Emergency
For most people, when a disaster occurs your first thought is of your family. Depending on the situation, you may find yourselves separated and desperately trying to reconnect. By planning in advance, you can create a plan on how you will contact each other, how you get back together, and what you will do in different situations. This plan can become more difficult if the nature of the emergency will require your immediate evacuation from the area. You, and your family, will need to understand and plan for both possibilities.
Make a Plan for Your Family
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Identify an out-of-town contact for every member of your household. Phone lines are often busy or out of service during major disasters, and it may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town.
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Make sure your family is prepared to use text messaging. This tactic can be used when network disruptions prevent a phone call from connecting.
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Equip your family with various emergency contact’s information including address, landlines, and cell phone numbers. Program your emergency contact as “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) in your phone. If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get a hold of someone you know.
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Add a designated “Home” or “Work” entry so that these phone numbers can be easily accessed in an emergency situation.
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Empower your kids to become part of the emergency planning process. Quiz kids about the family plan at dinner.
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Shop for your emergency supply kit with the kids. Be sure they know where the kits are stored.
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Identify a location where the family will reunite after an emergency.
Download the ReadyOC Family Emergency Plan Template to create your own family emergency plan. Print it out, cut it out, and keep it with you so that you and your family are always prepared!