Establish Multiple Family Meeting Spots

Establish Multiple Family Meeting Spots

It’s important to stick together in an emergency, so establish a few places where your family can reunite if you’ve been separated and stay safe. You need to pick four places in total:

1. An indoor meeting spot: In the event of natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, and other storms, set a dedicated place in your home everyone can go to. A small, windowless room like a closet or bathroom, a safe room, or a basement are good examples.

1. A neighborhood meeting spot: In case you and your family have to leave your home, or you all get separated in the commotion, pick a spot in the neighborhood everyone knows to meet at. A big tree, mailbox, the end of a driveway, or a neighbor’s house will do.

1. A regional meeting spot: Say you and your partner are at work when disaster strikes and your kids are at school. In that case, you should have a non-residential meeting spot somewhere in the area where everyone can meet up. It can be a library, place of worship, community center, or even a relative’s house.

1. An out of town meeting spot: Some disasters call for an evacuation, so it’s a good idea to have a safe meeting place out of the region. The homes of relatives or family friends are perfect, but you could also choose an easy-to-get-to hotel or other landmark that everyone is familiar with.

Make sure all of these places are accessible by everyone in your family, including people with pets and those with disabilities. If you live in the city and don’t have a car, make sure you take time to establish train routes, and backup routes, to your meeting spots. FEMA has a Commuter Emergency Plan form you can fill out and give to everyone who needs it.

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