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A HOUSEHOLD HOW-TO · COMMUNICATION

Make a contact card
people can actually use.

If you were away from home when a short emergency began, would everyone know whom to contact and where to meet? Put the answers on paper before you need them.

September 29 edition · Published September 29, 2026 · 5-minute read

1. Write one number now.

Take a piece of paper and write the name and phone number of one trusted person outside your area who agrees to be your household's check-in contact. That is the free first action. The American Red Cross recommends an out-of-area contact because local phone service may be overloaded or unavailable. Do not assume any call or text will go through; this person is one route for reconnecting, not a guaranteed communications service.

Ask the person whether they are willing to receive brief status messages and pass them along. Confirm the number by contacting them while service is normal. If your household includes someone away at school, work or on a trip, decide how that person will use the same check-in contact.

2. Agree on two meeting places.

Choose one safe place just outside your home for a sudden household emergency and another outside your neighborhood if you cannot return home. Make each location specific enough that another person can find it without guessing. The Red Cross recommends these two kinds of meeting place. A planned destination is never a reason to ignore evacuation routes, closures, fire crews or other current local instructions.

Say the plan out loud with everyone who needs it. For a child, caregiver or person who needs assistance, include the relevant school, care provider or transportation plan. This conversation is a practical check that the written card makes sense; it does not replace the provider's own emergency procedures.

3. Make a pocket-size copy for each person.

Write only what someone needs to reconnect: the out-of-area contact's name and number, the two meeting places, and a household callback number if useful. The Red Cross advises carrying emergency contact information in writing and saving it on phones, and making sure a child's school or daycare has the needed numbers. Its planning article links to a contact-card template if a blank index card is too small.

Keep a copy in a wallet, bag or other place that person can reach. Add the information to a phone contact as a second copy. As an optional privacy habit, avoid putting detailed medical or financial information on a card that might be lost in public; keep sensitive records in a more appropriate secure place.

4. Do one rehearsal and set a review reminder.

Have each person find their card without a hint. Ask them to point to both meeting places and explain who receives the first check-in message. A short text may sometimes get through when a voice call does not, according to the Red Cross, but neither channel is assured. Agree on a simple message such as “I'm safe at [location]; checking in with [contact]” and use only a channel that is working and appropriate at the time.

Put a reminder on your calendar to check numbers, school or caregiver details, and meeting places after a move or other household change. The rehearsal and reminder are optional practical habits, not official deadlines. If someone cannot use a phone or read a small card, make an accessible version and identify the person who will help them use the plan.