Be sure to develop a communications plan for family and friends to let them know your status during an emergency.
Consider the following when developing a communications plan:
- Staying in contact with family and friends is critical during an emergency. Not all communications will work after a disaster or emergency; it is important to have a plan of how you will communicate.
- Designate a single family contact outside your area: be sure family, friends and/or roommates know who this contact is and how to reach them.
- Notify family or friends if you are affected by an emergency so they know where you are – if you can’t reach them, notify your family contact person.
- Remember to check in at home to let your family know you’re safe, regularly and especially in an emergency situation. They may have heard about it on the news and be worried about you.
- Consider adding the entry ICE (“in case of emergency”) to your cell’s phone book with the number of the person to be contacted in the event of an emergency.