Know who to contact and where to meet.
Family members can be separated between school, work, home and travel during an emergency. Choose a shared contact and two meeting places before a disruption.
Quick start: choose one trusted out-of-town contact, two meeting places, and a backup communication method. Print or write a plan that works even with a dead phone battery.
Five decisions to make as a family
- Choose an out-of-area contact everyone can reach using two methods.
- Agree on one meeting place near home and another outside your neighborhood.
- Know school, childcare, caregiver and workplace emergency instructions, including authorized pickup and reunification procedures.
- Keep key contacts on paper, not only in phones. Keep private details protected.
- Practice your plan and make sure everyone understands warnings, evacuation orders and when to call emergency services.
Texts may sometimes succeed when calls cannot, but cellular service is not guaranteed. For immediate danger, call the emergency number for your country if available (911 in the U.S.).
Official sources: Ready.gov — Make a Plan and FEMA family communication planning document (PDF).
Our reunification worksheet
Out-of-town contact:
Two ways to reach them:
Close-to-home meeting place:
Outside-neighborhood meeting place:
School / caregiver instructions kept at:
Approved child pickup person:
Local official alert source:
- ☐ Everyone knows our communication plan
- ☐ School or caregiver procedures confirmed
- ☐ Paper emergency contacts distributed to trusted caregivers
- ☐ Accessible meeting locations confirmed
- ☐ Family practiced reconnecting
Review date:
Do not post completed plans containing children's locations, phone numbers, medical information or access codes online. Follow official instructions during live emergencies.
For live warnings, use official sources
This worksheet does not confirm a school, road or shelter is open or safe. Follow emergency managers and school staff.