A household contact plan that works without your phone

Write the numbers you would actually use

Start with household members, one trusted nearby person and anyone you are responsible for checking on. Add essential service or insurance contacts that fit your circumstances. The useful list is the one you can read and understand quickly, not a directory of every possible helpline. In immediate danger call 999.

Include the power-cut number for your nation: 105 in England, Scotland and Wales; 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland. Label numbers clearly and write the date you last checked them. If someone is an emergency contact, tell them and agree what help they can realistically provide.

Choose a meeting point with a backup

Be Ready suggests an easy-to-find public place in your community or a family member’s home if safe. Consider whether it is accessible, whether everyone knows the route and whether it is likely to be open. “Meet in town” is less useful than naming a specific entrance or landmark.

Talk through what you would do if that place were affected too. A meeting point is not an instruction to travel into danger or ignore evacuation directions. Follow the emergency services and adapt the arrangement to the actual situation. Make sure children understand which trusted adults may collect them and keep school or childcare contact information current.

Agree check-ins rather than assume them

If you are worried about someone who lives alone, ask what they would find helpful. Decide who is nearby, whether a visit would be appropriate if calls fail and how you will avoid several people assuming someone else has checked. Share the arrangement with the people involved, with their agreement.

Avoid making promises you cannot safely keep, such as crossing a flooded road or entering an unsafe building. Your plan should say to seek appropriate help rather than take unnecessary risks. A neighbour who knows the household’s agreed contact can be more useful than an elaborate group chat that nobody reads.

Keep the paper copy useful and private

Print your READY72 plan or write the important parts by hand. Choose a place that is easy for your household to find but does not expose private numbers unnecessarily. Do not put the full contact sheet in a public social post. READY72 share cards deliberately leave out contacts, meeting points and household care information.

• One clearly labelled paper contact list
• A named, accessible meeting point
• An agreed check-in responsibility
• School or childcare contacts checked where relevant