Family Plan & Documents

Talk it through once

Twenty minutes at the kitchen table now saves hours of panic later. Cover these questions:

• What emergencies are most likely here? (Around Spokane: windstorms, winter storms and ice, wildfire and smoke, heat waves.)
• Where do we meet if we can't get home, or have to leave fast?
• Who is our out-of-area contact?
• Who picks up the kids if roads are closed? Does the school have that person on file?
• Who checks on grandparents or neighbors who live alone?
• What does each person grab if we evacuate?
• How do we shut off water, gas and power? (See Safety.)
• What's the plan for pets? (See Special needs.)
• When do we stay, and when do we go?

Write it down on one page. Put a copy in each go-bag and on the fridge.

The document "grab bag"

If your house burns or floods, rebuilding starts with paperwork. Keep copies (not originals) in a waterproof pouch in your go-bag, and digital copies on an encrypted USB drive and/or a secure cloud account.

• Driver's licenses, passports, birth certificates, Social Security cards
• Insurance policies (home, auto, health, life) with policy numbers and phone numbers
• Deed or lease, vehicle titles
• Bank, credit card and retirement account numbers and phone numbers
• Medical records: prescriptions, allergies, conditions, doctors' names
• Immunization records, pet vaccination records
• Wills, powers of attorney, guardianship papers
• A recent photo of each family member and pet (for reuniting)
• Home inventory: walk through your home with a phone and video every room, closet and drawer. Narrate what's valuable. Store the video off-site.

Keep originals in a fire-resistant safe or a bank safe-deposit box.

Money

• Cash: when power is out, card readers and ATMs don't work. Keep enough cash for a week of gas, groceries and supplies — in small bills.
• Insurance check-up: does your homeowners policy cover sewer backup, food spoilage, or generator damage? Flood and earthquake insurance are separate policies.
• Emergency fund: even a small cushion helps when hotels, repairs and lost wages pile up.

Practice

• Hold a fire drill twice a year. Time how long it takes everyone to get out.
• Do a "lights-out weekend": flip the main breaker for an evening and live on your kit. You'll learn fast what's missing — and kids usually love it.
• Walk or drive to your meeting places.

Get involved

• Sign up for local alerts — ALERT Spokane in Spokane County.
• Take a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) course. It's free training in disaster first aid, fire safety and light search and rescue.
• Learn CPR and Stop the Bleed (see First aid).

Sources: Ready.gov — Make a Plan · FEMA — Emergency Financial First Aid Kit · FEMA — Are You Ready?