September is National Preparedness Month and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is encouraging all families to have a family emergency plan in place in case of natural disasters. According to FEMA, 50 percent of Americans have not discussed or developed a specific system for family members’ communication and safety strategies if hurricanes, floods or other disasters occur.

Ready.gov, the national PSA campaign to help families prepare for emergencies, aims to help increase disaster preparedness across the nation. Ready.gov has curated FEMA’s essential downloadable emergency plan templates in one place, Make a Plan. Here you will find the downloadable, printable Family Communication Plan for Parents and Kids and the Commuter Emergency Plan templates and guides.

It is simple to fill out the sections provided and then print and e-mail to family members. The templates ensure that you have not left anything out that your family may need to stay in communication and safety.

One of the most gripping PSAs I have seen that illustrates the need for a family communication is below. As a mother, this particularly resonated with me.

This is an unsponsored post in solidarity with the goals of Ready.gov and the AdCouncil.