Beyond the Kit: Why Your Family Communication Plan is the Real First Step
Stop worrying about finding each other during a crisis. We detail how to draft your family’s essential communication plan, including instructions for the Deaf/ASL community, to ensure clear contact every time.
Most people focus only on gathering supplies, but the real key to calm in a crisis is knowing exactly how and where you’ll find each other. A Family Communication Plan is your foundational document—it outlines emergency contacts, rally points, and off-grid communication methods. Taking one afternoon to review this plan with your loved ones instantly reduces anxiety by replacing fear with concrete, agreed-upon steps.
Your communication plan should operate on the assumption that local cell towers may be overloaded or down. This is where the Out-of-State Contact rule becomes vital. Designate one relative or friend who lives far away as the single point of contact for the entire family. Because long-distance calls are often routed differently than local calls, messages to this single person have a much higher chance of getting through, allowing them to relay information between family members safely in the local area.
For families with Deaf or hard-of-hearing members, this plan must include specific instructions for relay services or TTY devices, and crucially, a list of essential ASL signs for emergencies such as “Help,” “Fire,” “Water,” and “Safe.” Preparing these visual methods ensures essential safety instructions are communicated clearly when noise or distance prevents verbal communication. We provide free, printable ASL flashcards in our Resources section to make this process simple and inclusive, ensuring every voice is heard when it matters most.
Finally, practice your plan regularly. A plan is useless if it’s stored away in a binder nobody ever sees. Post the contact list prominently in your home (on the fridge, by the front door, and in every kit). Knowing the procedures by heart is the ultimate source of confidence and is the most effective way Prep the Ark helps you build true peace of mind.
