It’s week two of National Preparedness Month. Last week we talked about knowing which emergencies are most likely to affect your household. This week, we turn that information into action: a household emergency plan.

Emergencies rarely wait for a convenient time. When something happens, your family members might be scattered between home, work, school or somewhere else entirely. Without a plan, that gap can turn a stressful situation into a chaotic one.

A plan does not need to be complicated. It just needs to answer a few basic questions before you need the answers.
 

What Your Plan Should Cover

How you’ll communicate. Phone lines and cell networks can get overloaded during a major emergency, even when everyone is safe. Pick a way to check in, such as a group text, and agree that everyone will use it.

Where you’ll meet. Choose two meeting spots: one near your home for a sudden emergency like a fire, and one outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home right away.

Who your out-of-area contact is. Pick a friend or relative who lives outside Northern Virginia. Local phone lines can jam during a regional emergency, but a call to someone farther away often goes through. Make sure everyone in the household has that person’s number.

What your household needs. Every plan should account for the specific people and pets in it, including:

• Children and their schools or daycare pickup procedures
• Older adults and any mobility or care needs
• People with disabilities and any equipment or assistance they rely on
• Pets, including carriers, food and a plan for where they can go
• Transportation, especially if someone in the household does not drive
• Medications, including a list of names, dosages, and where they’re kept

Keep It Simple

You don’t need a binder or a spreadsheet. A plan works if everyone in the household knows it. Write it down somewhere everyone can find it, such as on the refrigerator or in each person’s phone.

If you’re not sure where to start, the county already built the framework for you. The Community Emergency Response Guide (CERG) walks you through the same basics covered above, and its plan templates turn those basics into a fill-in-the-blank worksheet. The Family Preparedness Plan Template gives you spaces for your meeting spots, your out-of-area contact, and the specific needs of each person in your household. Print it, fill it in by hand and put it somewhere everyone can see it. The templates are also available in English, as well as Spanish, Korean, Arabic, Mandarin and Vietnamese.

Set aside 15 minutes for a household meeting. Use that time to choose your out-of-area contact and your meeting locations. If you have kids, walk them through the plan too. A five-minute conversation now can save confusion later.

While you’re at it, make sure everyone in your household is signed up for Fairfax Alerts. It’s the fastest way to get official warnings about weather, road closures and other emergencies sent straight to your phone or email. Sign up for free at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/alertshttps://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/alerts.

 Next Tuesday we will cover how to build a basic emergency kit, one item at a time.