Household communication plan.

Use these prompts for a voluntary conversation with the people involved. Keep the completed arrangements private and accessible to those who need them. Adapt the plan to local emergency guidance, accessibility needs, and institutional instructions. This webpage does not collect or store the plan.

Planning prompts

1. Agree on who participates.Include the people whose routines or responsibilities are affected. Ask before sharing someone’s contact information or location.
2. Choose primary and backup contacts.Confirm the contact methods and a sensible alternative. Ask any proposed out-of-area contact whether they agree to the role.
3. Discuss meeting arrangements.Identify an appropriate nearby option and an alternative relevant to your local plan. Follow official instructions during an actual emergency.
4. Clarify essential responsibilities.Discuss dependents, pets, accessibility, and necessary support without assigning duties that someone cannot safely fulfill.
5. Check school and workplace processes.Read the relevant organization’s instructions. Do not invent pickup authority or assume that a household plan overrides an institutional procedure.
6. Plan for communication limits.Consider how to find the plan without a usual device. Decide what short messages are useful and avoid unnecessary sharing of sensitive information.
7. Keep usable copies.Store the agreed information where authorized participants can find it. Review the privacy implications before making broad copies.
8. Rehearse without creating an alarm.Discuss one hypothetical disruption. Do not call emergency services as a test. Agree on a review point when contacts or circumstances change.

Revisit the arrangement

After the conversation, ask each participant to explain the next step in their own words. A disagreement is a reason to revise the arrangement, not to add more complicated rules. During an actual emergency, follow the relevant authorities and seek appropriate help.

Source and context

The related guide refers to American Red Cross. This checklist organizes the subject into editorial planning prompts. It is not a reproduction of an official form or a certification that the reader has met a professional standard.