A Family Emergency Plan for Earthquakes and Disasters: Step-by-Step Preparation

Many parts of the world sit on active fault lines, from Japan and California to Italy, Greece and Turkey, and floods, storms and wildfires can strike almost anywhere. We cannot prevent disasters, but we can plan in advance what our family will do during and after one. Research and real disaster experience show that families who prepared in advance make faster, better decisions in a disaster and reach each other more easily.

In this guide we explain step by step how to prepare a family emergency plan for disasters, with earthquakes as the main example. You can put this plan together as a family over one weekend afternoon.

Step 1: Know the risks and your home

Your home's safety

• Find out whether the building meets earthquake codes and what the ground conditions are. If needed, ask an expert to assess it.
• Fix heavy furniture (wardrobes, bookcases, the TV, the fridge) to the wall.
• Make sure there is nothing heavy (pictures, shelves, mirrors) next to or above the beds that could fall.
• Put heavy items on the lower shelves of cupboards.
• Make sure the adults in the family know where the gas, water and electricity shut-offs are and how to use them.

Safe spots at home

In every room, identify safe spots where you can drop, cover and hold on during an earthquake: under a sturdy table, next to interior walls, away from things that could fall. Stay away from windows, glass-fronted cabinets and hanging objects.

Step 2: Choose meeting points

In a disaster, family members are very likely to be in different places (work, school, home, on the road). That is why agreed meeting points are vital:

• A nearby point outside the home: An open space close to home, away from anything that could collapse (a park, an open area).
• A point outside the neighbourhood: A slightly more distant place to meet if your neighbourhood cannot be reached (a relative's home, a particular school yard).
• An official assembly area: Find out where the official emergency assembly points or shelters in your area are, from your local authority or civil protection agency.

Everyone in the family, including children, should know these points and you should all visit them together at least once.

Step 3: Make a communication plan

After major disasters, phone networks can collapse or work very poorly because of congestion. That is why a communication plan is essential:

An out-of-area contact

Choose a relative or friend who lives in another city or region as your family contact person. After a disaster, everyone in the family reports their status to this person. Even when local lines are overloaded, long-distance communication can sometimes be easier.

Numbers known by heart

If phones run out of battery or are lost, you cannot reach your contacts. Everyone in the family, children especially, should know at least one or two numbers by heart.

Text messages and data-based communication

After a disaster, using text messages or internet messaging apps instead of voice calls puts less strain on the network and increases the chance your message gets through. Save voice calls for real emergencies.

A written contact card

Every family member should have a card in their wallet, bag or school bag with:

• The names and phone numbers of family members
• The out-of-area contact's number
• The meeting points
• Blood type, chronic conditions and allergies

Step 4: Prepare a disaster go bag

Every home should have a disaster and emergency bag in an easy-to-reach place (by the door, in the car). The basics:

Essentials

• Water (roughly 2–4 litres per person per day, for at least a few days)
• Long-life food that needs no cooking (tins, nuts, crackers)
• A torch and spare batteries
• A battery-powered or wind-up radio
• A whistle (to call for help if trapped)
• A power bank and charging cables
• A blanket or thermal blanket
• Spare clothes for the season and sturdy shoes
• A rain jacket

Health and hygiene

• A first aid kit
• Regular medication (at least a few days' worth) and copies of prescriptions
• Personal medical items such as glasses or hearing aid batteries
• Wet wipes, hand sanitiser, hygiene products
• Dust masks

Documents and money

• Copies of important documents such as ID, property deeds and insurance policies (in a waterproof bag)
• Some cash (electronic payments may not work)
• Spare house and car keys

For children, older relatives and pets

• Baby food and nappies
• A small toy or book for children (to reduce fear and stress)
• Extra medication for older relatives, a walker or a walking stick
• Pet food and a lead

Step 5: Give everyone in the family a role

Knowing who does what in a moment of panic saves time:

• Who will pick the children up from school? Learn the school's disaster plan and make sure the list of people allowed to collect your child is up to date.
• Who will help older or disabled family members?
• Who will grab the emergency bag?
• Who will turn off the gas and electricity?
• Who is responsible for the pets?

Step 6: Prepare the children

It is important to prepare children without frightening them:

• Explain earthquakes in age-appropriate language: "Sometimes the ground shakes, and we know what to do."
• Practise drop, cover and hold on together like a game.
• Visit the meeting points together.
• Help them memorise their home address and at least one parent's number.
• Teach them when to call the emergency number.
• Encourage them to take school earthquake drills seriously.

Step 7: Older relatives and people with special needs

• Keep a medication list and at least a few days' spare medication ready.
• Discuss in advance how people with walking difficulties will be evacuated, and agree which neighbour or family member will help.
• Think about how people with hearing or sight difficulties will receive warnings.
• Plan a backup power source for anyone who uses electrically powered medical equipment.

For more on keeping older relatives safe, see our article on elderly parent safety.

Step 8: Practise

The only way to know whether a plan works is to try it. Hold a family drill at least once or twice a year:

• Practise drop, cover and hold on.
• Use the routes out of the home.
• Meet at the meeting point outside the home.
• Send a message to the out-of-area contact.
• Afterwards, talk about what worked and what needs to change.

During and after an earthquake

During the earthquake

• If you are indoors: Drop, cover and hold on. Stay where you are until the shaking stops. Do not use stairs or lifts.
• If you are outdoors: Move to an open area away from buildings, trees, power poles and cables.
• If you are in a vehicle: Stop in a safe place, away from bridges, overpasses and buildings. Stay in the vehicle.

After the earthquake

• Check yourself and those around you for injuries.
• If you smell gas, turn off the valve and do not use anything that could create a spark (light switches, lighters).
• Do not enter damaged buildings; be careful of aftershocks.
• Contact your family in the way you agreed: first a text message, then the contact person.
• Follow official sources (civil protection, local authorities) and do not share unverified news.
• If you need emergency help, call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 911 in North America).

How technology supports disaster preparedness

• Location sharing: Seeing where your family is after a disaster can make it easier to reach each other. But remember that network problems may stop locations updating, and pay attention to the "last updated" time.
• Your phone's emergency features: Set up emergency contacts, medical ID and SOS features in advance.
• Alerts: Make sure emergency alerts are switched on in your phone's settings.

Koriva's emergency button notifies everyone in the family the moment it is pressed; if there is no connection, the alarm waits on the phone and is sent when a connection returns. For older relatives, the one-tap "I'm OK" is also an easy way to let the family know quickly after a disaster. But Koriva does not call emergency services; in a real emergency, call the emergency number first. For the principles of location sharing, see our family location sharing guide.

Conclusion

Disaster preparedness is not a task you do once and forget; it is a habit you review regularly as a family. Meeting points, a contact person, a ready-packed go bag and a drill practised a few times make a big difference to your family's safety in a disaster. Start putting this plan together as a family this weekend.

For general family safety measures, have a look at our family safety guide.