Family separated

What makes this different

This is one of the most likely problems in any emergency, and the one that causes most panic. A plan agreed in advance solves most of it.

The family plan (agree this now)

1. Meeting point 1: home.
2. Meeting point 2: somewhere nearby if home cannot be reached (a relative's house, a church, a landmark).
3. Meeting point 3: somewhere outside the area, for if you have to leave the region.
4. Out-of-area contact: a relative or friend everyone tells where they are. Calls and texts out of the region often get through when local ones do not.
5. Check-in times if phones are down, for example on the hour by walkie-talkie.
6. Who collects the child, and from where.

The child's school

• Know the school's emergency plan. In a lockdown or shelter alert, schools keep children inside and safe, and will not release them until it is safe.
• Make sure the school has up-to-date contacts, including the out-of-area contact.
• Agree who else may collect your child.

First steps

• Text the out-of-area contact: where you are, are you safe, what are you doing next.
• Follow the plan. Do not travel through danger to reach each other if told to shelter.
• Leave a note at home saying where you have gone.

Teach the child

• Their full name, address, and a parent's phone number. A card in their bag helps.
• To find a police officer, or a shop worker with a name badge, if they are lost.