Make a household contact card you can use without your phone

Take the important numbers out of your phone

Your phone can hold the names and numbers you reach for every day. But if it's flat or unavailable, knowing that a contact is saved somewhere doesn't give you the number. One small paper card can make those details easier to find without opening a device.

Start with the people your household would need to contact, rather than copying your entire address book. Artesia's fire department recommends including household or close local contacts, a nearby neighbor, and an out-of-town contact in a family communication plan. Ask the people you choose whether they're willing to be part of yours, and verify their numbers together. City of Artesia Fire Department: Family Communication Plan.

A card can't restore a network or guarantee a response. Its job is narrower: keep the agreed details available. You can still keep numbers in your phone; this is a practical companion to that list. A scrap of paper is enough for a first draft, provided it's legible to the person who'll use it.

Agree on the details before making copies

Write each contact's name, role in your plan, and checked number. A label such as 'out-of-town contact' can explain why a number is there without requiring someone to remember the whole conversation. Share only the details the people using the card need; it doesn't have to contain a health history or a full set of personal records.

Artesia also recommends a neighborhood meeting place and another place in the community for times when people are away from home. Discuss specific places your household recognizes and write them clearly. Follow current local instructions during an emergency; a meeting-place note doesn't mean you should travel somewhere unsafe.

Then read the draft together. Can everyone identify the place from the words you've written? Is the text large enough? Does anyone need another language, another format, or help getting in touch? Salt Lake County Emergency Management emphasizes tailoring a plan to household needs, including accessibility, languages, and responsibilities for children or others. Let those needs shape the card rather than making identical copies by default. Salt Lake County Emergency Management: Family Communication Plan.

Source: City of Artesia Fire Department: Family Communication Plan.

Try finding it before you need it

Make the copies people need and choose where they'll keep them. Artesia suggests carrying a copy in a purse, wallet, or backpack and keeping copies at home or in a vehicle. Agree on locations that work for your household, and tell the people involved where the shared copy is.

Now try a simple check: without opening your phone, find the card and identify your agreed contact. Don't call emergency services to test it. If the card isn't where you expected, or a number is hard to read, you've found something useful to fix while there's no pressure. Review it again when a number, meeting place, or household arrangement changes.

You're done when the important details are checked, the people involved understand them, and each person knows where their copy is. The payoff is a small shared reference you can reach for, rather than a plan that lives only inside one person's phone. For a wider outage plan, use the related guide alongside current instructions from your local authorities.

Source: City of Artesia Fire Department: Family Communication Plan.

Source: Salt Lake County Emergency Management: Family Communication Plan.