To help mark National Preparedness Month, the Postal Service wants every employee to create a family communications plan to stay connected during emergencies.
Advance planning will help ensure you can contact members of your household during a crisis.
Take these three steps to create your family’s plan:
• Collect. Create a paper copy of the contact information for medical facilities, doctors, schools and service providers.
• Share. Make sure everyone has a paper copy of the contact information. Post another copy in a central location, such as a refrigerator or family bulletin board. Have everyone save an image of the information on their mobile devices.
• Practice. Have regular household meetings to review and practice the communications plan.
Remember: In an emergency, use mobile phones to send text messages. Often text messages can get through faster than phone calls.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s site has additional instructions on creating a family communications plan.
The USPS National Preparedness Blue page and the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready.gov site have additional tips on preparing for emergencies.