A communication plan is an important part of the emergency plan. You should include the following in your communication plan:
Be in the know
- Now that you’ve decided how you’ll stay informed, make sure everyone in your emergency plan knows about these sources and how to use them.
How you will stay in touch with loved ones
- Designate an out of town/state contact. Since they don’t live in the area, their phone lines will not be effected by the disaster. A single call from you to them saves you time and keeps local lines open. Your contact can call the rest of your loved ones to update them on your situation.
- Instead of calling people use social media, email or text. Texting gets through when many other methods do not.
- Have a paper list of “important contacts” with phone numbers. The contact list on your cell phone won’t help if the battery dies. If you need to reach anyone in the first few hours after a disaster, such as your immediate family, your doctor, your insurance agent, and so on, include them on a list of important contacts.