1. Choose a coordinating contact and meeting locations

Texas DSHS's family planning guidance describes household contacts, local and out-of-area emergency contacts, and meeting locations. A relative or friend outside the area can help coordinate information from separated family members and where to meet. Ask for consent and agree on that role. This does not mean a distant call will always connect more reliably.

Choose a nearby meeting location and an alternative when you cannot return home, recording a recognizable landmark as well as an address. Check school and workplace evacuation and pickup rules. Do not agree to cross dangerous areas to reach a location by a fixed time; prioritize conditions and local authority instructions.

An outside meeting place for a home fire differs from a destination during a wider disaster. USFA's fire escape guidance describes an outside meeting place and escape practice. A contact sheet does not replace an evacuation plan.

2. Separate a carried card from detailed records

This is a minimal card template to complete with your household, not an example containing real personal information.

  • My name or a name the household recognizes: ___
  • Household contact name and number: ___
  • Out-of-area contact name and number: ___
  • Nearby and alternative meeting locations, addresses and landmarks: ___
  • Verified local emergency number: ___
  • Last checked: ___

There is no need to routinely put identity numbers, insurance numbers, a full medical history and blood type on every carried card. Prepare medication lists or clinical contacts needed for care in a separate protected record, and explain access to the family or carers who need it. Do not assume a blood-type note substitutes for clinical verification.

Keep the card somewhere accessible to its intended user, such as inside a bag, and avoid exposing detailed records on a public wall or open sharing link. Sharing only necessary information is this article's privacy-minimization proposal, not a requirement to copy the Texas form unchanged.

3. Check numbers and rehearse a short message

Tell household members and the coordinating contact that a contact attempt is a test, then verify the numbers. Do not make practice calls to emergency services. No real call test was performed for this article.

Texas guidance explains that texts and email use less bandwidth than voice calls and may work during some service disruptions; delivery is not guaranteed. Practise a short message through an available channel with your name, safety status, location and next contact method. If communication fails, act according to safety at your location and local instructions; do not enter a dangerous area to reunite.

When numbers, workplaces, schools or meeting locations change, update the date and replace old copies. Check that household members can explain where the card is and who the alternate contact is. Recording the next contact time and method agreed in the situation is more useful than imposing a universal hourly check-in.

4. Sources

  • Texas DSHS: How to Make a Plan — coordinating contacts, meeting locations, text/email and household records.
  • USFA: Home Fire Escape Plans — outside meeting locations and home-fire practice. These are US institutional references; verify emergency numbers and incident instructions locally.