The Plan

Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance: how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations. Develop a Family Communications Plan

Know how to contact members of your family during and following an emergency. Keep in mind that telephones, including cellular telephones may be ineffective during a large-scale emergency.

• Determine an out-of-town contact. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town.
• Use the out-of-town contact to receive status information from your family members so that their safety and location can be obtained.
• Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact.
• You may have trouble getting through, or the telephone system may be down altogether, but be patient.
• Communicate your status to the American Red Cross. Family members should be able to check you status from any other Red Cross facility.
• Know Where to Get Information and What to Expect
• The more you know, the better you'll be able to protect yourself and your family.
• Learn about your municipality's emergency plan in advance.
• Learn about your children's school or day-care emergency plan in advance.
• Learn about your employer's emergency plan in advance.
• Review the front section of your telephone book for emergency information.
• Purchase a battery powered AM-FM radio and batteries and a weather-alert radio and batteries to receive official Emergency Alert System information
• Share information, but not rumors with your family and neighbors.
• Research the web sites listed below.