Family emergency communication plan: who calls whom?
Build a free family emergency communication plan with a contact tree, check-in message and meeting arrangements. Save a draft or print an offline copy.
Agree on the plan while everyone can talk #
A communication plan explains how your household will check in, which backup contact to use and where to look for instructions if normal routines are disrupted. Write it down and give each relevant person an appropriate copy. Ready.gov and Texas Ready provide official household planning resources.
Source: Ready.gov: Make a plan
Source: Texas Ready: How to make a plan
Build your family communication plan
Agree how your household will reconnect if separated. Follow official local instructions; this worksheet does not decide evacuation routes or whether a place is safe.
Use locations and contact roles rather than passwords, recovery keys, full account numbers or identity numbers.
See a fictional example
Fictional example: “We will send our agreed check-in message to our out-of-area contact. The paper contact sheet is in each adult’s bag. We will confirm the school’s pickup arrangements directly with the school.”
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Build your family communication plan
Prepared / reviewed: ____________________
Write the contact tree
First household contact and backup
First household contact and backup: ________________________________________________
Out-of-area contact
Out-of-area contact: ________________________________________________
Who contacts whom?
Who contacts whom?: ________________________________________________
Agree the check-in
Our check-in message
Our check-in message: ________________________________________________
If the usual method is unavailable
If the usual method is unavailable: ________________________________________________
Where are our paper copies?
Where are our paper copies?: ________________________________________________
Record agreed meeting arrangements
Nearby meeting place
Nearby meeting place: ________________________________________________
Alternative meeting place
Alternative meeting place: ________________________________________________
School, work or care arrangements to confirm
School, work or care arrangements to confirm: ________________________________________________
Agree the next check
What is still unclear?
What is still unclear?: ________________________________________________
Who will check it, and when?
Who will check it, and when?: ________________________________________________
Where will the current copy live?
Where will the current copy live?: ________________________________________________
Keep this plan available offline. In the United States, call 911 for an immediate emergency. Follow official local instructions; do not wait for a family reply or organizer access. Protect private details and replace outdated copies.
Prepared with WiseTomorrow · wisetomorrow.com/guides/family-emergency-communication-plan
Choose primary and backup contact routes #
List more than one route where available. Ask people before assigning them a role, and check that phone numbers are current. Include an out-of-area contact if that fits your household’s plan.
- Household contacts and the route each person actually checks.
- A backup contact who can help relay information.
- School, care provider or workplace contact points where relevant.
- Local emergency information sources and instructions from local authorities.
Write a short check-in message #
A useful message says who is checking in, where they are and what they plan to do next. Keep identifying or sensitive details appropriate to the channel. Follow local emergency instructions rather than relying on a prewritten plan when conditions change.
I am safe at [agreed location]. I am with [person/role]. My next step is [plan]. I will check this channel again at [time]. If you cannot reach me, contact [backup].
Plan for a dead phone or inaccessible home #
Keep a paper contact copy where it can be found. Agree on meeting arrangements appropriate to your area and household, including what children or dependent adults should do with their usual caregiver. Check the school or care provider’s own release and emergency procedures; your family sheet does not override them.
Practice a small version of the plan #
Ask each person to find the backup contact and explain the check-in route. Include someone who is not usually responsible for planning. Correct ambiguous instructions, date the sheet and replace old copies after number changes. The printable contact tool below helps keep the essential fields in one readable place.
A contact sheet and a communication plan do different jobs #
The contact sheet is the directory: who and how to reach them. The communication plan explains the sequence, fallback and agreed meeting arrangements. Print both if your household needs both. A current paper copy should be reachable when phones, power or account access are unavailable.
Practice an ordinary check-in first #
Tell everyone it is a practice. Confirm the chosen contact knows their role, try your short check-in message and ask each person to find the paper copy. Record confusing instructions in the planner. Do not call an emergency service to test the sheet. Follow current local directions during an actual event.
Source: Texas Ready: How to make a plan
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Sources and editorial notes
Prepared by WiseTomorrow, the maker of Wise Box. These resources help organize information; they are not an independent product review. No specialist review is claimed. How these resources are prepared.
- Ready.gov: Make a plan · Source checked 2026-09-09
- Texas Ready: How to make a plan · Source checked 2026-10-04
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