If you need to leave your house quickly in an emergency, such as a fire, where would your family meet to make sure everyone got out safely? If you are at work and your children are at school, where would you meet if you could not go home? Make a plan and designate different meeting places in advance. Reviewing and discussing that plan regularly can help ensure everyone in your family is accounted for following a disaster.

Deciding where to go

  • Identify a location near your house that everyone can easily reach, such as a tree in a neighbor’s yard. Designate this as a meeting spot if you need to evacuate your house quickly.
  • Identify a backup location in the community but away from home, such as a local grocery store parking lot. Designate this as the location to meet if it’s not possible to get home.

Write an evacuation plan

  • Draw a floor plan of your home. Use a new sheet of paper for each floor.
  • Mark two escape routes from each room
  • If you have young children, make sure they understand the drawings and know where to go
  • Practice escaping from those rooms so everyone knows what to do during a real emergency

Establish a place to meet in the event of an emergency, such as a fire. Your family plan should address the following:

Location Family Communications
Near the home For example, the next door neighbor’s telephone pole