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Family Contact Plan
A major part of preparing is having a Red Cross Family Contact Plan with the following three components:
1. Set up a meeting to talk about the need to prepare for disasters and the types of disasters that could potentially happen including: home fires, school shootings/acts of terror, natural disasters common to your geographic region and public health disasters such as a flu pandemic or infectious disease emergency. Talk about what you would do in each case.
2. Pick two places to meet in the event of a disaster:
- Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire
- A location outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home
3. Decide how you will contact each other during an emergency and share these plans now with all those who would be concerned about your welfare. There are several options for remaining in contact during an emergency:
- Have an out-of-area family member or friend be your "family contact." Family members who are separated during a disaster call this person and tell them where they are. Include this phone number on an Emergency Contact Card that household members keep with them all the time.
- Develop an email distribution list of family members and friends so you can quickly notify each other about your location and wellbeing during and after a disaster.
- If you are directly impacted by a disaster, you can register yourself as "safe and well" on the Red Cross Safe and Well Web site at https://disastersafe.redcross.org. This Internet tool allows family members and friends who go to the Safe and Well Web site to view messages posted by loved ones who are in the disaster affected area and possibly unable to communicate any other way.
Preparing for the Unexpected
Information about how to prepare for unexpected events, including emergency communications planning, what to include in a disaster supplies kit, evacuation planning and knowing about school emergency plans and what to do in the event of a disaster, sheltering-in-place and first aid information.
The American Red Cross offers additional online education through the Be Red Cross Ready Online Education Presentation. This Flash based presentation will help you and your family become prepared and ready in any situation by following three key steps; Get a Kit, Make a Plan, and Be Informed.
Listen, Protect and Connect
This booklet from the UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters provides steps for adults to talk with children during times of stress. This resource will guide you through listening to what your child says and does; helping them feel protected; and helping children connect with you and their community. By following these steps, you can interact with the children in your care to help them understand and cope in difficult situations.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.