How to Make a Family Emergency Plan (With Kids, Pets and Older Relatives)

ByZane Carter

A family emergency plan answers a few simple questions before you ever need the answers: How will we hear about an emergency? Where will we go? How will we find each other? Who looks after whom?

Those questions get more interesting when your household includes young children, pets, or an older relative with specific needs. In this guide I walk through how I approach a family emergency plan that works for everyone in the house, using guidance from Ready.gov, the American Red Cross and the UK government.

Start With the Core Questions

Ready.gov’s Make A Plan page suggests discussing five questions with your household:

  1. How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?
  2. What is my shelter plan?
  3. What is my evacuation route?
  4. What is my family/household communication plan?
  5. Do I need to update my emergency preparedness kit?

I suggest sitting down together, even for twenty minutes, and writing a short answer for each. That conversation is the plan’s foundation.

Step 1: Know Your Local Risks and Alerts

The Red Cross recommends planning for the emergencies most likely where you live, and thinking about which may require you to shelter in place versus evacuate. The UK government’s Prepare guidance similarly encourages finding out about risks in your local area and signing up for alerts.

Write down:

  • The two or three most likely emergencies in your area
  • How you receive alerts (phone alerts, local radio, apps from your local authority)
  • The local emergency management or council website

Step 2: Choose Meeting Places

The Red Cross suggests choosing two places to meet:

  • Right outside your home, in case of a sudden emergency such as a fire
  • Outside your neighborhood, in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate

Pick places children can recognize and describe: “the big oak tree at the end of our street” or “Grandma’s front porch.”

Step 3: Build a Communication Plan

  • Choose an out-of-area contact. The Red Cross notes it may be easier to text or call long distance if local phone lines are overloaded.
  • Write contacts on paper. The Red Cross recommends everyone carry emergency contact information in writing and saved on their phones. Ready.gov also suggests storing important numbers somewhere besides just your cell phone.
  • Make wallet cards. A small card in each backpack, purse and wallet with key numbers and meeting places.

Step 4: Plan for Children

Children cope best when they know what to expect. Some practical steps:

  • Teach key information. The UK government suggests helping children learn their home address and, if possible, a parent or guardian’s mobile number, and practising regularly (Prepare).
  • Talk about calling emergency services. The same guidance recommends talking to children about what to do in an emergency, including how and when to call emergency services.
  • Check school and childcare plans. Make sure your child’s school has correct contact numbers, and ask about their emergency procedures. The Red Cross suggests making sure places where your children spend time also have your contact numbers.
  • Decide who picks up whom. Write it down, with a backup person.
  • Pack comfort items. Ready.gov’s kit list includes books, games, puzzles or other activities for children, plus infant formula, bottles and diapers if needed.

Ready.gov’s family emergency planning resources for kids and teens are a gentle way to involve children without making it scary.

Step 5: Plan for Pets

Ready.gov is clear that pets should be part of the plan: “If local officials ask you to evacuate, that means your pet should evacuate too” (Prepare Your Pets for Disasters).

Pet planning checklist, based on Ready.gov’s guidance:

  • ☐ Identify a safe place to take pets; many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside
  • ☐ Set up a buddy system with neighbors, friends or relatives who can care for or evacuate your pets if you cannot
  • ☐ Microchip your pet and keep contact details current
  • ☐ Prepare two kits: a larger one for sheltering in place and a lighter one for evacuating
  • ☐ Practise with the carrier so your pet is comfortable with it
  • ☐ Note where your pets hide, so you can find them quickly
  • ☐ Keep a photo of you with your pet to help document ownership

The Red Cross also suggests keeping a phone list of pet-friendly hotels and animal shelters along your evacuation routes (Make a Plan).

Step 6: Plan for Older Relatives

Ready.gov’s older adults page describes three steps: assess your needs, create a plan, and engage your support network. Practical points:

  • ☐ Medications and supplies. Include medicines, medical supplies, batteries and chargers in the kit.
  • ☐ Assistive devices. Plan how they will come along during an evacuation.
  • ☐ Transportation. Plan for help evacuating if needed.
  • ☐ Insurance cards. Ready.gov suggests making copies of Medicaid, Medicare and other insurance cards (or your country’s equivalents).
  • ☐ Support network. Ready.gov suggests making sure at least one person in the support network has an extra key, knows where emergency supplies are kept, and knows how to use lifesaving equipment or administer medicine.
  • ☐ Treatment providers. If someone has routine treatments at a clinic or hospital, ask about the provider’s emergency plans and backup options.

The UK government also mentions checking eligibility for utility Priority Services Registers, which let suppliers know you need additional support (Prepare). Similar schemes exist in other countries, so ask your local providers.

Step 7: Assign Roles

Ready.gov encourages assessing household needs, including responsibilities for assisting others (Make A Plan). The Red Cross recommends identifying responsibilities for each member. A simple role list:

  • Adult 1: grabs the kit and binder, handles the car
  • Adult 2: children and pets
  • Older child: checks on a younger sibling, carries own backpack
  • Neighbor buddy: checks on an older relative next door

Step 8: Write It Down and Practise

Ready.gov’s steps end with “Document Your Plan” and “Practice Your Plan.” The Red Cross suggests practising evacuating your home twice a year: grab your kit and drive your planned route.

I keep the written plan in our family emergency binder. If you have not set one up, see how to make a family emergency binder. For the supplies side, my 72-hour emergency kit checklist for families includes extras for children, pets and older adults.

A Template Can Help

Ready.gov and the Red Cross both offer free plan templates, and they are a great place to start. If you would like your plan, contacts and supply lists in one place, I put them together in the Family Emergency Binder + 72-Hour Kit & Pantry Planner. The 59-page fillable binder has a Plans section with an evacuation plan, meeting places and pickups, a communication plan and a kids and school plan, plus Health pages for medical information, medications, care needs and medical equipment, and pets. The kit’s 72-Hour Kit Checklist adds lists for kids, babies, older adults and pets, and the wallet cards hold each person’s contacts and meeting places. You can find it here.

FAQ

How do I talk to young kids about emergency plans without scaring them?

Keep it practical and matter-of-fact, the way you would talk about fire drills at school. Focus on what they can do: remember the meeting spot, know a phone number, carry their backpack.

What if my pet is not allowed in an emergency shelter?

Ready.gov notes many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets. Identify pet-friendly options and a buddy who can help ahead of time.

How often should we practise our family emergency plan?

The Red Cross suggests practising evacuation twice a year. I pair it with a review of the binder and kit.

What if family members are in different places when something happens?

That is exactly what the meeting places and out-of-area contact are for. Make sure everyone carries the information in writing.

Conclusion

A good family emergency plan covers alerts, shelter, evacuation, communication and supplies, then adds the specific needs of children, pets and older relatives. Write it down, share it, assign roles, and practise it a couple of times a year. It is a calm, manageable project that pays off in clarity.

Disclaimer: This article provides general preparedness information only. It is not professional, legal, medical, or financial advice. Always follow the guidance of your local authorities and emergency services.

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