Emergencies and disasters can strike at any moment, often with little warning. From natural disasters to power outages, having a well-thought-out plan is essential for ensuring your family’s safety and well-being. As the creator of this plan, I’ve drawn upon my over 13 years of experience in disaster preparedness, survival research & information, incident management, and disaster response, having witnessed firsthand the devastation of Fires, Floods, Hurricanes, Tornados, Storms, and other critical events. 

What Makes This Template Essential?

The Family Preparedness Plan Template empowers you to:
• Create tailored action plans for various emergencies, such as house fires, floods, tornadoes, and more.
• Safely navigate utility issues with clear instructions on shutting off water, gas, and electricity.
• Establish emergency meeting places and escape routes for quick evacuations.
• Compile critical contact numbers and resources in one place for easy access.

What’s Inside the Template?

1. Step-by-Step Guidance for Different Emergencies – From extreme weather to man-made disasters, this template provides clear, actionable steps to keep your family safe.
2. Evacuation Urgency Levels – Learn how to prioritize tasks based on the time you have to evacuate, whether it’s 5 minutes or several hours.
3. Emergency Communication Plan – Ensure your family stays connected with tips for using satellite communicators and creating a robust communication strategy.
4. Home Utility Management – Get detailed instructions for safely turning off utilities to prevent further damage during a disaster.
5. Additional Resources – The template includes space to attach essential documents, such as birth certificates, insurance policies, and a home inventory list.

This plan is meant to be used when a disaster happens, not actually for preparing with Food Planning, Water Purification, etc, as there are lots of resources for that. I created this plan because I could not find a good customizable preparedness plan. This document serves as a versatile template and starting place, offering you the flexibility to tailor your preparedness plan to your specific needs. You can personalize it by filling in the blanks, removing sections that are not applicable to your situation, and updating details as necessary.  You may learn from this document, but, it’s not meant to be a source of learning, but as a preparedness plan, one that you fill out, print out, and update regularly. If there are topics that you don’t understand, then please research, read, and talk with others.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT TO DO IN DIFFERENT DISASTERS
– House Fire:
– Wild Fire:
– Extreme Cold/Winter Storm:
– Wind & Storm:
– Power Outage:
– Extreme Heat:
– Earthquake:
– Flood:
– Tornado:
– Nuclear/Chemical/Terrorism:
EMERGENCY MEETING PLACES
ESCAPE ROUTES FROM OUR HOME
EVACUATION URGENCY LEVELS
IMPORTANT NUMBERS & INFORMATION
NEIGHBORS
UTILITY SHUTOFF / UTILITY ISSUES
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION
– Garmin InReach Satellite Communication Plan
HOME FLOOR PLAN FOR EMERGENCIES
EXTREME COLD TO DO LIST
BACKUP GENERATOR
GENERATOR STARTING INSTRUCTIONS
GENERATOR TROUBLESHOOTING
TERMINOLOGY
ADDITIONAL ATTACHMENTS
RESOURCES

How to Use the Template

1. Fill It Out: Personalize the template with your family’s information and plans.
2. Print and Share: Ensure every family member knows where to find a printed copy.
3. Review Regularly: Update your plan as your family’s needs change.