Emergencies don’t schedule themselves. They show up unannounced – sometimes as a power outage, sometimes as a weather warning buzzing on your phone. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when you have kids who look to you for reassurance. The best antidote to that “what do we do now?” feeling is a little preparation and practice. Below, we’ve broken down the key steps to help your family get ready, stay safe, and feel empowered, no matter what life throws your way.
Create a Family Plan
Assemble an Emergency Kit
Don’t be scared—be prepared! Disasters can strike without warning, and your family might not be together when they do. That’s why having a plan is essential. Start by thinking about the emergencies most likely in your area—the Red Cross offers a helpful list. Make sure everyone knows how to stay safe, where to meet if separated, and how to communicate if phones are down. Write down key phone numbers and practice texting, since messages often go through when calls don’t. Talk with your kids about who their safe adults are—neighbors, relatives, or family friends they can turn to if you’re not together. Review your plan a few times a year to keep it fresh and make sure everyone feels confident. A little preparation now can make a big difference later. For step-by-step templates and a full planning guide, visit Ready.gov.
An emergency kit is your family’s safety net for those “just in case” moments. Think about what you’d need if you had to stay home for a few days or leave quickly. As Ready.gov suggests, a basic kit should include water (one gallon per person per day), shelf-stable food, a flashlight, and a first aid kit. Add prescription medications, pet supplies, and any special items your family needs. Comfort items like a favorite snack or stuffed animal can help kids feel more secure. Let children help choose and pack familiar things to make the kit feel reassuring. Store it somewhere easy to access, and make sure everyone knows where it is. Twice a year, check your kit and replace expired food or batteries. For a checklist with extra tips for infants, pets, and those with special needs, visit Healthy Children’s Family Disaster Supplies list.
Stay Informed and Connected
Staying informed helps your family respond quickly to any situation. Virginia’s Department of Emergency Management shares statewide alerts, preparedness tips, and local contacts, while many cities and counties offer their own emergency notification systems—just search your locality plus “emergency alerts” to sign up. Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on your phone, and consider trusted apps like the Red Cross Emergency app, FEMA app, or National Weather Service mobile tools for real-time updates. Keep a battery-powered radio handy in case cell service is down, and make sure your contact list is current so everyone can check in if separated. For more helpful checklists, local alerts, and family resources, visit the Red Cross and Virginia Department of Emergency Management pages in the buttons below.
No family can prepare for every possibility, but covering the basics for the most common emergencies goes a long way toward keeping everyone safe. Every family’s emergency plan will look a little different, because the risks in your neighborhood might not be the same as your cousin’s across the country. Still, most families should be ready for a few of the same big ones:
Whether it’s a kitchen mishap or something more serious, fires can move fast, so a little planning goes a long way. Make sure everyone knows two ways out of every room and practice your escape plan together—sometimes you may only have a couple of minutes to get out safely. Check smoke alarms and fire extinguishers twice a year, teach kids that fire is a tool, not a toy, and remind them to “get low and go” if there’s smoke. You can even turn safety into a family game with Pedro’s Fire Safety Challenge Skill for Alexa. For more practical tips, visit U.S. Fire Administration’s Home Fires page or Ready.gov Home Fires.
In Virginia, families should be ready for thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and winter storms—these are the most common severe weather threats in our state. It’s smart to check your local risks ahead of time using the Know Your Zone tool or the FEMA National Risk Index. Make sure you have a safe spot to shelter, like a basement or sturdy interior room, and talk with your kids about what to do if there’s lightning, a tornado warning, or a hurricane alert. If you want to dive deeper, the CDC’s Natural Disasters and Severe Weather page has advice for staying safe before, during, and after storms, and Ready.gov’s Severe Weather section offers family-friendly tips for making a plan and building an emergency kit.
Power outages are more than just an inconvenience—they can affect everything from keeping food safe to staying connected or comfortable, especially for families with young kids or anyone who relies on medical devices. If the lights go out, it helps to know where your flashlights are (remember candles can cause fires), keep devices charged when storms are predicted, and have a plan for staying cool or warm if temperatures are extreme. Remember, your emergency kit (see above!) is your best friend during an outage, so double-check that you’ve got what you need to ride it out safely. For more ideas and up-to-date guidance, check Ready.gov’s Power Outages page or FEMA’s Power Outage Hazard Info Sheet.
Medical emergencies can happen anytime—someone might fall, choke, have an allergic reaction, or become suddenly ill. It’s important for families to stay calm and act quickly. Make sure everyone knows when and how to call 911, and teach kids to share key details like your address or any allergies. Keep a list of emergency contacts and important health information in an easy-to-find spot, and talk with family members about what to do if someone has special medical needs. For step-by-step first aid advice you can trust, the Red Cross First Aid app and resource page has tips for handling everything from minor injuries to more serious situations.
Community violence—like a shooting, school lockdown, or neighborhood incident—can be tough for families to talk about. With recent increases in firearm-related incidents, remind kids never to touch a gun and to tell an adult right away if they see one, and always store firearms securely and out of reach. After hearing about or experiencing violence, children may feel scared or anxious—let them know their feelings are normal, keep routines steady, and answer questions honestly. For tips on helping kids cope with trauma and build resilience, visit the Child Mind Institute’s guide on helping children after a traumatic event.
It can happen in a second: you turn around and your child is gone in a crowd. Separation, especially during an emergency, is every parent’s fear, but a little preparation goes a long way. Teach kids to stay where they are if they get lost, and to look for a safe adult—like a security guard, police officer, teacher, or another parent with children. Help them practice recognizing and approaching safe adults, and make sure they know your phone number by heart. Pick a family meeting spot at parks, malls, or events so everyone knows where to go if you get separated. For more resources on preventing abduction and empowering kids to practice safer behaviors, visit KidSmartz—a program with lessons, tips, and activities for families and educators.
Remember: An emergency plan and a well-stocked kit can make all the difference when the unexpected happens—helping your family stay calm, connected, and ready to handle many types of situations.
Make Preparedness a Family Activity
Practice Makes Perfect
Kids feel more confident and less anxious when they’re part of the process. Make emergency planning a family affair—practice fire drills, check your kit together, and let kids help test alarms or pick comfort items for your bag. Use clear, simple language to explain what you’re doing and why. Listen to their questions and talk through their worries, but don’t dwell on scary details.
Try out fun activities from Ready Kids or Sesame Street Emergencies Toolkit to make learning about safety approachable. You can also explore these extensive book recommendations for helping kids prepare and cope with disasters courtesy of our friends at Child Care Aware of America.
When everyone has a role, the plan feels less overwhelming and much more memorable.
Plans on paper are just the start—real confidence comes from practice. Many kids are already used to doing fire and evacuation drills at school, so bringing those same routines home helps them understand that emergencies can happen anywhere, and everyone has a part to play. Set aside time a couple of times a year to run through your family’s emergency plan. Try a fire drill, walk through what you’d do in a storm, or practice sending a group text if you’re apart. Switch up the scenarios—what if the main exit is blocked, or your phone’s not working?
Keep it low-stress and even a little fun. You’ll build muscle memory, spot any gaps in your plan, and help kids feel ready instead of rattled if something unexpected happens for real. See the video below for even more tips on running family drills.
Planning & Preparedness: Resources for Parents and Kids
You don’t have to figure everything out on your own. In addition to the resources we’ve linked above, there are plenty of trustworthy, family-friendly tools to help you get prepared and stay informed—no matter your family’s needs or your kids’ ages. Whether you’re looking for printable plans, checklists, interactive games, or expert tips, these links are a great place to start or to dig deeper. Exploring a few together as a family can make preparedness feel a lot less overwhelming—and even a little more fun.
Don’t forget to check your local government’s emergency management website and social media channels for area-specific alerts, updates, and resources!
Planning Resources
Virginia Department of Health: Family Emergency Plan (PDF): Printable template for organizing your family’s emergency plan.
Virginia Department of Emergency Management: Make a Plan: State-specific planning tools, checklists, and local alerts for Virginia families.
PlanRVA Emergency Management Home: Regional preparedness resources and updates for Central Virginia.
PlanRVA Emergency Preparedness Guide (PDF): Family-friendly planning guide for the Richmond region.
VDH & PlanRVA Emergency Preparedness Handbook (PDF): Comprehensive handbook for Virginia families, with checklists and local contacts.
Ready NOVA Family Emergency Plan: Customizable, printable emergency plans for Northern Virginia families.
CDC Emergency Kit Checklist: A comprehensive list for building your family’s kit.
For Kids & Families
Sesame Street – Let’s Get Ready: Fillable plans, videos, and activities that make preparedness approachable for young children.
Ready Kids: Checklists, games, and tips for kids, teens, parents, and educators.
Red Cross Youth Preparedness: Courses, games, and activities for building kids’ emergency skills.
Save the Children Preparedness: Resources and activities focused on protecting children in emergencies.
Child Care Aware Crisis Resources: Support for families dealing with the aftermath of emergencies and disasters.
Ready.gov Kids Games: Fun online games to teach emergency readiness.
Stop Disasters!: Interactive online game where kids can build safer communities.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Safety Toolkit: Tips for preventing and responding to missing children.
Your Partners in Preparedness
Finding High-Quality Child Care
Emergency preparedness doesn’t stop at home—it’s just as important in the places where your child spends their day. When you enroll your child in child care, check the parent handbook for emergency procedures, ask how often they run drills, and find out how they’ll contact parents during an emergency.
Let your provider know that Child Care Aware of Virginia offers free emergency preparedness trainings for child care professionals. These cover everything from emergency planning and trauma to cyber security and crisis response. Learn more and sign up for our latest sessions on our website.
When it comes to emergency preparedness, having reliable child care is a key part of your family’s safety plan. If you need help finding quality child care that fits your family’s needs—whether you’re preparing for the unexpected or just looking for peace of mind—Child Care Aware of Virginia is here to help.
- Call (866) 543-7852 option 2 for our customized referral service
- Or use our online self-search portal any time to explore child care options near you!
- Visit our website below to submit an online Child Care Referral Request Form
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