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Family Emergency Plan Checklist: What Every Household Should Write Down

A family emergency plan should include emergency supplies for families, communication methods, meeting locations, and evacuation procedures.

Why Every Household Needs a Written Emergency Plan

Emergency supplies are important, but supplies alone are not a plan. During stress, people forget details, phones die, roads close, and family members may not be together when something happens.

A written family emergency plan gives your household simple instructions to follow when normal routines break down.

Beginner goal: Write down your emergency contacts, meeting places, evacuation routes, important documents, pet plan, medical needs, and supply locations.

1. Household Emergency Contacts

Start by writing down the phone numbers and contact details your household may need if phones, apps, or internet access are unavailable.

  • Every household member’s phone number
  • Out-of-town emergency contact
  • Local trusted neighbor or friend
  • Doctor
  • Pharmacy
  • Insurance agent
  • School or daycare
  • Veterinarian
  • Utility companies
  • Local emergency management website or alert system
Tip: Choose one out-of-town contact who can help relay information if local phone networks are overloaded.

2. Emergency Meeting Places

Your plan should include more than one meeting place. One location may not be reachable depending on the emergency.

  • Inside the home: safe room or interior room
  • Outside the home: mailbox, driveway, nearby tree, or parking area
  • Neighborhood location: nearby park, school, or community center
  • Out-of-area location: relative’s home, friend’s home, or preselected safe destination

Make sure children, older adults, and caregivers understand where to go.

3. Evacuation Routes

Do not rely on one route. Fires, floods, police activity, traffic accidents, and road closures can block your usual path.

  • Primary evacuation route
  • Backup evacuation route
  • Walking route if roads are blocked
  • Nearest gas station
  • Nearest hospital or urgent care
  • Pet-friendly destination if needed
  • Out-of-town destination

Keep printed directions in your emergency documents in case your phone cannot load maps.

4. Important Documents

Your family emergency plan should include where important documents are stored and what copies you need to grab during evacuation.

  • ID copies
  • Insurance policies
  • Medical information
  • Emergency contacts
  • Birth certificates or copies
  • Passport copies
  • Pet records
  • Lease, mortgage, or property records
  • Vehicle registration
  • Emergency cash

Waterproof Document Pouch

Protect copies of IDs, insurance documents, emergency contacts, medical information, and emergency cash.

View Document Pouch

Fire-Resistant Document Bag

A helpful home-storage upgrade for protecting important household records and backup copies.

View Document Bag

5. Family Communication Plan

During an emergency, your household needs a simple communication plan. Text messages may work when calls do not, but you should not depend on only one method.

  • Who calls or texts first
  • Who contacts children, school, or daycare
  • Who checks on elderly relatives
  • Out-of-town contact person
  • Backup contact method
  • Where written phone numbers are stored
  • How to communicate if phones die

Battery Bank

Backup phone power helps your household stay connected during outages, evacuations, and travel delays.

View Battery Bank

6. Emergency Alerts and Information

Your family emergency plan should include how your household will receive alerts and updates if internet or cell service becomes unreliable.

  • Local emergency alert system
  • Weather alerts
  • NOAA emergency radio
  • Local government social media or website
  • School or workplace alert systems
  • Community evacuation information

NOAA Emergency Radio

A backup way to receive emergency weather and alert information when internet access is limited.

View Emergency Radio

7. Emergency Supply Locations

Your plan should clearly say where emergency supplies are stored. A kit is less useful if nobody knows where it is.

  • 72-hour emergency kit location
  • Water storage location
  • First aid kit location
  • Flashlights and batteries location
  • Emergency food location
  • Document pouch location
  • Emergency cash location
  • Car emergency kit location
  • Pet supply location

Emergency Backpack

A dedicated backpack helps keep grab-and-go emergency supplies organized in one place.

View Emergency Backpack

Waterproof Labels

Useful for labeling bins, kits, emergency supplies, water containers, and document storage.

View Waterproof Labels

8. Medical Needs and Medications

Make sure your plan includes medical needs for every household member, including pets if applicable.

  • Prescription medications
  • Medication schedule
  • Allergies
  • Medical conditions
  • Doctor contact information
  • Pharmacy contact information
  • Medical device needs
  • Backup power plan for medical equipment

First Aid Kit

A basic first aid kit should be part of every family emergency plan and supply setup.

View First Aid Kit

9. Pet Emergency Plan

If you have pets, include them in your emergency plan from the beginning. Many shelters and hotels have rules about animals, so plan ahead.

  • Pet food
  • Pet water
  • Leash or carrier
  • Vaccination records
  • Medication
  • Veterinarian contact
  • Pet-friendly evacuation destination
  • Recent pet photo

10. Children, Seniors, and Special Needs

Every household has different needs. Your family emergency plan should include specific steps for anyone who may need extra help.

  • Infant formula, diapers, and wipes
  • Comfort items for children
  • School pickup authorization information
  • Senior medication list
  • Mobility equipment
  • Hearing aids or batteries
  • Medical device charging plan
  • Caregiver contact information

11. Household Roles

Assign simple roles so everyone knows what to do. Keep it practical and age-appropriate.

  • Who grabs the emergency kit
  • Who grabs documents
  • Who handles pets
  • Who contacts relatives
  • Who checks flashlights and phones
  • Who turns off appliances if safe
  • Who helps children or older adults

12. Practice and Review Schedule

A family emergency plan should be reviewed regularly. Phone numbers, jobs, schools, medications, and living situations change.

  • Review the plan every 6 months.
  • Update phone numbers when they change.
  • Check emergency supplies twice per year.
  • Practice evacuation routes.
  • Make sure children know meeting places.
  • Update pet records and medical information.

Family Emergency Plan Checklist

  • Emergency contact list
  • Out-of-town contact
  • Meeting places
  • Evacuation routes
  • Important document copies
  • Family communication plan
  • Emergency alert sources
  • Supply storage locations
  • Medical and medication information
  • Pet emergency plan
  • Children, seniors, and special needs plan
  • Household emergency roles
  • Review schedule

Printable Family Emergency Plan Checklist

Print this checklist and use it to create or review your household emergency plan.

  • ☐ Write down all household phone numbers
  • ☐ Choose an out-of-town emergency contact
  • ☐ Write down local emergency contacts
  • ☐ Choose an indoor safe location
  • ☐ Choose an outdoor meeting place
  • ☐ Choose a neighborhood meeting place
  • ☐ Choose an out-of-area destination
  • ☐ Write down primary evacuation route
  • ☐ Write down backup evacuation route
  • ☐ Print important phone numbers
  • ☐ Copy identification documents
  • ☐ Copy insurance information
  • ☐ Store medical information
  • ☐ Store emergency cash in small bills
  • ☐ Store documents in waterproof pouch
  • ☐ Create family communication plan
  • ☐ Set up emergency alerts
  • ☐ Keep NOAA radio available
  • ☐ List emergency supply locations
  • ☐ Label emergency supply bins
  • ☐ Write medication list
  • ☐ Add doctor and pharmacy contacts
  • ☐ Add pet emergency information
  • ☐ Add child, senior, or special needs details
  • ☐ Assign household emergency roles
  • ☐ Review plan every 6 months
  • ☐ Practice evacuation route
  • ☐ Keep printed plan with emergency supplies

Where to Keep Your Family Emergency Plan

Your written plan should be easy to find. Keep copies in more than one place so you are not dependent on a single binder, drawer, or device.

  • Inside your emergency backpack
  • With your important documents
  • In your vehicle emergency kit
  • With your financial go-bag
  • Saved securely in digital form
  • With a trusted out-of-town contact if appropriate

Related Preparedness Guides

Final Takeaway

A family emergency plan turns preparedness supplies into clear action steps. It helps your household know who to call, where to meet, what to grab, and how to respond when normal routines are disrupted.

Start simple. Write down contacts, meeting places, evacuation routes, documents, medical needs, pet information, and supply locations. Then review the plan twice per year so it stays current.