Family Emergency Plan Checklist: Be Prepared | Deltron

An emergency kit gives you useful equipment. An emergency plan helps everyone know what to do.

If a power cut, severe storm, flood or communications outage happens while everyone is at home, organising your household may be relatively straightforward.
But what if one parent is at work, the children are at school, a teenager is visiting friends and an elderly relative lives nearby? Making a simple family emergency plan in advance can remove a great deal of uncertainty.

Sit down together and work through this emergency checklist

1. Who is part of your emergency plan?

Write down everyone your plan needs to consider.
☐ Adults in the household
☐ Babies
☐ Children
☐ Teenagers
☐ Elderly relatives
☐ Less mobile or vulnerable household members
☐ People with medical requirements
☐ Pets
☐ Relatives or neighbours you may need to check on

2. Record important contact details

Don't keep every telephone number exclusively on your mobile phone.
Write down:
☐ Mobile numbers for household members
☐ Work telephone numbers
☐ School/nursery contact details
☐ Close relatives
☐ Trusted neighbours
☐ Medical contacts
☐ Veterinary contact
☐ Relevant utility/emergency information
☐ Insurance information where appropriate

Keep a copy with your household emergency supplies and another in your grab bag where appropriate.

3. Choose a household meeting point

Ask: Where should everyone meet if we cannot return home normally?
Choose:
☐ A meeting point close to home
☐ A secondary meeting point outside the immediate area where appropriate
Make sure children understand the plan at an age-appropriate level.

4. What happens if mobile networks aren't working?

Agree in advance:
☐ Who everyone should try to contact
☐ Which communication methods you will try
☐ How long people should wait before following the next part of the plan
☐ Where everyone should go if contact isn't possible
☐ Whether suitable two-way radios form part of your household plan
Two-way radios can be useful in suitable circumstances, but they are not a substitute for a clear family plan.

5. What happens during a power cut?

Make sure everyone knows:
☐ Where the torches are
☐ Where the head torches are
☐ Where spare batteries are stored
☐ Where the emergency radio is
☐ How to operate the emergency radio
☐ Where power banks and cables are kept
☐ Where the household emergency kit is
☐ Which equipment should not be used without adult supervision
A simple test can be useful:
Turn the lights off and ask everyone to find the emergency torch.
If nobody can find it, your emergency lighting isn't as accessible as you thought.

6. How will you receive information?

☐ Mobile phone when networks are available
☐ Official alerts and information
☐ Battery-powered/wind-up emergency radio
☐ Local radio information
☐ Written emergency information
☐ Other appropriate official communication channels

Make sure at least two household members know how the emergency radio works.

7. Who needs extra help?

Identify anyone who may need assistance.
☐ Babies/young children
☐ Elderly people
☐ Less mobile people
☐ People with disabilities
☐ People with essential medication
☐ People dependent on medical equipment
☐ Anyone who may need help understanding emergency information
Agree who will help whom.

8. Medication and medical requirements

☐ List essential medication
☐ Record important instructions
☐ Keep relevant contact details available
☐ Know how medication should be stored
☐ Identify any equipment dependent on electricity
☐ Establish appropriate backup arrangements where necessary
Seek professional guidance for individual medical requirements.

9. Make a plan for pets

Decide:
☐ Who is responsible for each pet
☐ Where leads/harnesses are stored
☐ Where carriers are stored
☐ Where pet food is kept
☐ Where medication is kept
☐ What you need to take if you leave
☐ Who could care for the pet if you cannot return home

10. Know where your emergency equipment is

Everyone who is old enough should know where to find:
☐ Household emergency kit
☐ Grab bag
☐ Emergency radio
☐ Torches
☐ Head torches
☐ Spare batteries
☐ Power banks
☐ First aid kit
☐ Medication
☐ Two-way radios where applicable
☐ Important documents/contact details

11. Decide what happens if you need to leave

Agree:
☐ Who collects the grab bag
☐ Who helps children
☐ Who assists elderly/less mobile household members
☐ Who collects medication
☐ Who handles pets
☐ Which exit/routes you may use where appropriate
☐ Where you will go when following official instructions
Never delay leaving an unsafe situation simply to collect possessions.

12. Plan for children away from home

Make sure you understand the emergency procedures used by schools, nurseries or other childcare providers.
Record:
☐ School/nursery contact details
☐ Authorised collection arrangements
☐ Alternative authorised adult where appropriate
☐ What your child should do if normal communication isn't available

Avoid encouraging children to leave a safe supervised environment unless this forms part of the appropriate official/school procedure.

13. Review your plan regularly

Households change.

Children grow. Medication changes. Pets arrive. People move jobs. Phone numbers change. Equipment batteries deteriorate.

Review your family emergency plan:
☐ periodically;
☐ after moving home;
☐ when household members change;
☐ after important medical changes;
☐ after buying/changing emergency equipment;
☐ after experiencing an actual emergency or prolonged power cut.

Family emergency plan: Quick questions

Can everyone answer these?
☐ Where is our emergency kit?
☐ Where is our grab bag?
☐ Where are our torches?
☐ Where is our emergency radio?
☐ Who do we contact?
☐ Where do we meet?
☐ What do we do if our phones don't work?
☐ Who helps children?
☐ Who helps vulnerable household members?
☐ Who takes care of the pets?
☐ What do we take if we have to leave?

If the answers are clear, your household is already better prepared than if you simply own emergency equipment without a plan for using it.

Equipment that can support your family emergency plan

The equipment matters

But knowing where it is, how it works and what your household will do matters just as much.

Family Emergency Plan Checklist: Make a Plan Before You Need It