If family members are injured or incapacitated, it is helpful to have an In Case of Emergency (ICE) number in everyone’s phone. Emergency responders know to look for this number.
Remember, ICE numbers must be accessible even when the screen is locked. To do this:
- On an iPhone, you can use the built-in Health app
- On Android, you can download the ICE app
- On Samsung Galaxy phones, you can add an emergency contact under the built-in Contacts app
You might first reach for your cell phone to get in touch with loved ones. However, FEMA and other disaster agencies recommend against using cell phones.
An example: When two IEDs detonated at the Boston Marathon’s finish line in 2013, mobile phone carriers were overloaded. In the fog of disaster, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide tried calling their loved ones in the Boston area. The Boston metropolitan area’s robust mobile networks simply clogged up as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and other providers coped with a massive and unexpected surge.
If you cannot contact family by low bandwidth modes, or must call emergency services, keep the call short so you don’t tie up the lines.
SMS text messaging doesn’t use as much network bandwidth as calling, so texts are more likely to go through even when the network is congested. Texting also won’t tie up the network like calling, which is why FEMA recommends texts for communication.
- Create a group on your phone. Then you can send a message to everyone in your emergency contacts at once. There are apps like GroupMe which make group texting easier.
- Pack a portable solar power bank in your survival bag to keep using your cell for emergency communications even with the power out.
Landlines use copper wires buried underground, making them less likely to be damaged during natural disasters than cell phone towers. They also don’t require electricity to work. If your contacts retained their landline phones make sure you have those numbers in your emergency contacts list.
- Choose a corded landline phone. Cordless phones require electricity and won’t work during power outages.
- If you have call forwarding on your landline, forward calls to your cell number during an emergency. This way, you will still get incoming calls, such as during an evacuation.
Social media and email are great ways to send bulk messages to friends and family during disasters. Just send one message or status report to everyone to let them know you are okay instead of wasting precious network space to call each individually.
- Make sure you know your social media passwords if you need to access your profile from someone else’s computer or phone.
As radio operators, we understand how this mode of communication is beneficial in an emergency. If family members are not interested in obtaining an amateur license, consider the GMRS option. This is a licensed radio service but it does not require an exam to obtain the license. With the numerous GMRS repeaters around northern Utah it is a valuable option to consider for those who do not want to attempt the amateur exam.
You can use written messages to share vital information as a last resort. For example, if you must evacuate your primary meeting point, you might write a message on the wall.
This is an easy way to communicate where you have gone. However, there are some obvious downsides to this. You won’t know whether your family will see the message, and the message could get destroyed by fire or flood.
If you cannot get in touch with family members through any of the methods listed in #3, then you will call the central contact instead. The Central Contact will give each family member news and updates each time they call.
Another good idea is to stagger your calls at established intervals to give updates. For example, Dad calls the central contact every hour, Mom calls at 10 minutes after the hour, etc.
Keep calling until the family is reunited.
The next part of your family communication plan is meeting points. These are the places where you will go if in danger or to reunite. Depending on the type of emergency, you will need multiple meeting points.
- Primary meeting point: This will probably be your home.
- Neighborhood meeting point: This is where you will go if your home is unsafe, but the neighborhood is not affected.
- City/town meeting point: If you aren’t at home when the disaster hits and can’t get home, this is where you will go. It should be a safe location, preferably with a storm shelter and nearby places you attend frequently. For example, you might choose a hospital halfway between you and your spouse’s workplace. Or you might choose your children’s school as the meeting point.
- Out-of-town meeting point: This is where you will go if the entire region has become unsafe and you need to evacuate without your family. It might be a relative’s home in the next city or state.
Other tips:
- If you have children: Make sure you know the emergency procedures at your children's schools/daycares, so you will know where they will be located and how to get in contact.
- Preserve phone battery life: Turn off all unneeded apps, turn off mobile data, and reduce screen brightness to save your battery.
- Sign up for disaster alerts: Learn more about emergency alert options at ready.gov/alerts. Also, check if your children’s school district has an alert system.
- After a disaster: Mark yourself as “Safe” on Facebook and register yourself as “Safe and Well” on the American Red Cross website.
- Practice! Plan communication drills to ensure everyone understands what to do. Go over the plan yearly and update contact information as needed.