Chapter 7. Creating a Family Emergency and Evacuation Plan
A family emergency and evacuation plan helps every household member understand what to do if a wildfire, earthquake, flood, hazardous-material incident, gas leak, power outage, or other emergency disrupts normal routines. The plan should explain how family members will communicate, where they will meet, who will care for children or relatives, and how everyone will leave safely if authorities issue an evacuation order.
Residents of Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon, Danville, Sunol, and nearby Tri-Valley communities should create their plans before an emergency occurs. Family members may be at home, work, school, childcare, an appointment, or another location when an alert arrives. A few decisions made in advance can reduce confusion when time is limited.
Decide How Everyone Will Communicate
Begin by choosing an out-of-area emergency contact. Long-distance communication may sometimes be more successful than local calls when nearby telephone networks are congested. Every family member should know the contact’s name and telephone number.
Ask household members to contact this person if they cannot reach one another. The out-of-area contact can help record who is safe, where each person is located, and where family members intend to meet.
Text messages may go through when voice calls do not, but no household should rely on only one method. Your communication plan may include:
- Text messages and telephone calls
- An out-of-area contact
- Email or a family messaging application
- Official city and county emergency alerts
- Written contact information in wallets, backpacks, and go-bags
Children and anyone who may have difficulty remembering telephone numbers should carry a printed emergency contact card. Ready.gov provides a downloadable family emergency communication plan that households can complete together.
Select More Than One Meeting Place
Choose several meeting places for different situations.
The first can be a familiar location immediately outside the home, such as a neighbor’s driveway or another safe nearby landmark. Household members can use it after evacuating because of a house fire or similar emergency. It should be far enough from the home to avoid smoke, flames, falling materials, or emergency vehicles.
The second meeting place should be outside the neighborhood in case streets are closed or residents cannot return home. The third may be outside the city or immediate region if a larger evacuation occurs.
A meeting place should be recognizable, accessible to everyone in the household, and appropriate for pets or service animals when possible. However, never travel toward a planned meeting location if doing so would take you into danger, across a closure, or against official instructions. A meeting place is a planning tool—not a guaranteed emergency destination.
Plan for Children
Parents and guardians should learn the emergency procedures used by each child’s school, preschool, childcare provider, camp, or after-school program. Find out:
- How the organization will contact families
- Where children may be evacuated
- Who is authorized to collect them
- What identification the authorized adult must provide
- What happens if a parent cannot arrive
- Whether emergency medication or medical information is maintained
Designate at least one trusted backup adult who can collect each child when permitted. Complete the organization’s authorization documents in advance and keep contact information current.
Children should understand that they must remain with teachers or caregivers until released through the official process. Parents should not tell children to leave independently or arrange an unapproved meeting place during an active emergency. Cal OES recommends discussing separation, trusted adults, evacuation routes, and emergency contacts with children before a disaster. Cal OES family preparedness guidance
Assign Responsibilities for Relatives and Neighbors
Identify family members who may require additional assistance, including older adults, people with disabilities, individuals who use medical equipment, and anyone who does not drive or speak English comfortably.
Assign a primary and backup person to check on each individual. The plan should address transportation, medication, mobility equipment, communication needs, service animals, and a suitable destination. If a relative lives in another evacuation zone or jurisdiction, record that zone and register for alerts serving that address when permitted.
Do not create a plan that requires anyone to enter or reenter a dangerous or evacuated area. If the designated helper cannot reach the person safely, contact emergency authorities and clearly explain the person’s location and needs.
Decide How the Household Will Evacuate
Know how many vehicles, drivers, car seats, pet carriers, mobility devices, or animal trailers the household may need. Keep vehicle fuel or battery levels sufficient for unexpected travel whenever practical.
Identify several possible ways out of the neighborhood and several potential destinations in different directions. These could include the home of a relative or friend, an accessible hotel, or an officially announced shelter. Ask in advance whether prospective hosts can accommodate children, pets, service animals, or medical needs.
Preplanning alternatives is valuable, but routes and destinations must always be confirmed through current official sources. Fire, smoke, flooding, fallen trees, damaged power lines, traffic, or emergency operations may make a familiar road unsafe. During an evacuation, follow directions from public-safety personnel and never drive around a barricade.
If the household does not have reliable transportation, discuss arrangements with trusted relatives, friends, neighbors, local service providers, or appropriate public agencies before an emergency. Designate a backup because the first person may be unavailable.
Write Down and Practice the Plan
Keep the completed family emergency plan simple enough to review on one or two pages. Provide copies to adult household members and place copies in go-bags, children’s backpacks, and vehicles. Include emergency contacts, meeting places, school information, evacuation zones, responsibilities, medical considerations, and pet arrangements.
Practice the plan at least twice a year and whenever the household changes. Ask everyone to explain the plan in their own words. Update it after moving, changing schools or workplaces, acquiring a pet, beginning new medication, or taking on responsibility for a relative.
A plan does not need to anticipate every possible situation. Its purpose is to give household members a familiar starting point while allowing them to follow current official instructions.
Helpful Hint
A simple plan everyone remembers is more useful than a complicated plan no one has practiced. Begin with one contact, two meeting places, clear responsibilities, and a backup transportation arrangement.
Important Safety Reminder
Use this guide to prepare before an emergency. During an emergency, rely on current information from authorized public-safety and government sources. Community groups can help neighbors safely, but they should never replace or contradict official instructions. Call 911 when someone faces an immediate threat to life, safety, or property.
Important Preparedness and Safety Notice
This chapter provides general preparedness education, not real-time emergency instructions. Conditions, evacuation zones, routes, shelters, road closures, and public-safety directions can change rapidly. During an emergency, consult current information from authorized public agencies and follow all instructions issued by emergency officials. Call 911 for an immediate threat to life, active fire, serious injury, crime in progress, or another urgent emergency.
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