An Evacuation Plan With Two Routes and a Reunification Point
A working evacuation plan in an afternoon.
Two routes, one meeting point, and a grab-and-go bag — the bones of a real evacuation plan.
Two routes
Primary routes can be blocked. Identify a second way out by road and, if relevant, on foot. In a real evacuation, traffic, debris, or emergency closures can close your first choice; a household with only one route is a household that may be stuck.
Drive or walk both routes before you need them. You want to know the turns, the landmarks, and the choke points while you are calm, not while you are evacuating in the dark with your family in the car. Note where the routes go and where you would go if both are closed.
One reunification point
Pick a meeting point and an out-of-area contact so a separated household can check in when local lines are busy. Local phone networks often overload during a disaster; a distant contact can relay messages between separated family members who can't reach each other directly.
Choose a meeting point close to home for a small emergency and a second one farther away for a wider one. Make sure everyone in the household — including children old enough to understand — knows the plan, the meeting point, and the out-of-area contact's number.
A grab-and-go bag
Documents, medications, a charger, water, and a change of clothes, packed in a bag you can carry. The bag should be sized to what you can actually carry, not what looks impressive. If you have pets, include their food, records, and a carrier.
Keep the go-bag where you can grab it quickly — near the door or in the trunk. Check it twice a year when you check your smoke alarms. Rotate the water, replace expired medications, and update the documents. A go-bag you packed five years ago and forgot is not a plan.
Sources & further reading
This guide is planning guidance, not emergency advice. In an emergency, call 911. See a mistake? Report it.