If the Phones Stop Working, What Will Your Family Do?

A communication plan is more than having a charged phone. During a disaster, cell service may be overloaded, internet access may be interrupted, and family members may be in different places. Preparing in advance means deciding how you will get information, how you will communicate locally, and what everyone should do if no message gets through.

Build your plan around four questions

Choose more than one meeting place

Ready.gov recommends deciding on safe, familiar meeting places before a disaster. A neighborhood meeting place is useful if you must leave your home but can remain nearby. An out-of-neighborhood meeting place gives everyone a destination if returning home is not possible.

Pick locations everyone already knows. Make sure they work for children, older adults, household members with disabilities, and pets or service animals where applicable.

Choose an out-of-area contact

Ready.gov also recommends identifying someone outside your community or state who can serve as a central point of contact. In some disasters, local communications may be more congested than long-distance communications. Everyone in the household should know who that person is and have the contact information written down as well as stored digitally.

Write down the plan

A plan that exists only in one person’s phone is not much of a backup. Keep a simple printed copy with your emergency supplies and another copy in a place family members can access. Include meeting places, emergency contacts, key phone numbers, and any special instructions your household needs.

Practice it

Talk through a simple scenario: “We cannot call or text. Where do we go?” If everyone gives the same answer, the plan is working. Review it whenever work, school, caregiving, or household routines change.