By the Planfolk team · Updated: October 2026
An emergency binder keeps your household's key information in one place: who to call, who lives here, where the shut-offs are, where you will meet and where the important papers are kept. This emergency binder checklist goes through it section by section. You can fill it in over a weekend or two, and then you will know where to look when it matters.
We built our own Family Emergency Binder around this list, and the checklist works with any binder, notebook or planner. We chose to split its Grab First page into two lists, one for when you have 5 minutes and one for when you have 15, so those decisions are made before anyone is in a hurry. The Shut-Off Locations page records where the water, gas and electricity shut-offs are, which tool each one needs and who knows how to use it, and it leaves the steps blank for you to copy from your utility provider.
One rule first: write down where, not what
A binder can be lost, borrowed or left on the counter. So record where sensitive things are kept, never the secrets themselves.
- Never write full account numbers, passwords, PINs or Social Security numbers in the binder.
- For IDs and accounts, the last 4 digits are enough to tell them apart.
- For logins, note where the details are kept (for example, "in our password manager"), not the password.
- For door and alarm codes, note where the code is kept, not the code.
In our binder, the Accounts & Bills and Digital Accounts pages say "never passwords" right at the top.
The emergency binder checklist, section by section
1. Emergency contacts
Put the numbers you would need first on one quick-reference page at the front.
- 911 (or your local emergency number) and the Poison Help line
- Police and fire non-emergency numbers
- An out-of-area contact: a relative or friend who lives somewhere else and can pass news along
- Family, neighbors and friends nearby who can help
- Doctors, dentist, pharmacy and vet
- Utilities: electric, gas, water and internet, plus a plumber and an electrician
- Insurance agents and claims lines
- Schools, childcare and workplaces
Ready.gov's Make a Plan page asks families to decide how they will contact each other and reconnect if separated, and it offers a free family emergency communication plan form you can fill in online.
2. Household members
Give each person a page, so a babysitter, a relative or a first responder can see the basics at a glance.
- Full name, date of birth and a recent photo
- Cell phone, and where they usually are during the day
- Type of ID and its last 4 digits only
- Any access or functional needs, such as mobility aids, hearing aids or glasses
- Their own emergency contact
3. Medical information: what to record
This is not medical advice, just a list of what is useful to have written down. Copy details exactly from labels and records, and ask your doctor or pharmacist if anything is unclear.
- Allergies (medications, foods, stings)
- Ongoing conditions
- Current medications: name, strength and directions exactly as printed on the label, plus the prescribing doctor and pharmacy
- Medical devices and equipment
- Doctors and specialists, with phone numbers
- Health insurance plan name and member services phone (the last 4 digits of the member ID are enough)
- Where immunization records and care documents are kept
If someone in your family has a lot of appointments and prescriptions to keep track of, a separate medical binder keeps the emergency binder short. Our Family Medical Binder has health profiles for up to 6 people, a medication list for each person, and logs for appointments, symptoms and test results. It also comes in Warm Floral.
4. Important documents: copies, and where the originals are kept
FEMA's guide Safeguard Critical Documents and Valuables (FEMA P-1096, a free PDF on Ready.gov) sorts the papers families may need after a disaster into household identification, financial and legal documents, medical information and emergency contacts. Use it as your checklist. For each item, write down where the original is and where a copy is.
- Birth, marriage and divorce certificates, adoption and custody papers
- Passports, driver's licenses, Social Security cards, green cards and military IDs
- Lease or deed and mortgage papers
- Vehicle titles and registrations
- Insurance policies: home or renters, auto, life, flood and health
- Wills, trusts and powers of attorney
- Recent tax returns
- Pet ownership papers and records
The same FEMA guide lists storage options such as a fireproof and waterproof box or safe at home, a bank safe deposit box or a trusted friend or relative, with electronic copies kept password-protected or in a secure cloud service. For the money side, Ready.gov's Financial Preparedness page points to the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit, published by Operation HOPE and FEMA.
5. Pets
- Name, species, breed, color and a recent photo (Ready.gov also suggests a photo of you together with your pet)
- Microchip company, and where the microchip number is kept
- Vet name and phone, and where vaccination records are kept
- Food, medications and daily routine
- Who can care for them if you can't
- A pet go-bag list: food, water, leash, carrier and records
Ready.gov's Prepare Your Pets for Disasters page notes that many shelters and hotels do not accept animals, so it is worth writing down where your pets could go.
6. Home info and utility shut-offs
Walk through your home with the binder and note:
- Where the water, gas and electricity shut-offs are, which tool each one needs and where that tool is kept
- Who in the household knows how to use them
- Where the breaker panel, water heater and furnace are
- Where the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, first-aid kit and flashlights are
- The alarm company's phone, and where the alarm code is kept
- Who has a spare key
We don't list shut-off steps here, because they differ from home to home. Ask each utility provider how to do it safely for your home and copy their steps into the binder. Ready.gov's Safety Skills page says gas shut-off procedures vary by meter, suggests calling your gas company, and warns that once the gas is off, only a qualified professional can turn it back on.
7. Evacuation and meeting places
- A meeting spot right outside your home
- A meeting place outside your neighborhood
- An out-of-town destination: host, address, phone and travel time
- Two or three routes out of your area
- A simple escape map of each floor
- Who does what: who picks up the children, who takes the pets and the go-bags
Ready.gov's Evacuation page suggests choosing destinations in different directions and learning your area's evacuation routes. Always follow evacuation orders and guidance from your local authorities.
8. Go-bag list
The binder holds the list and the bag holds the supplies. Ready.gov's Build a Kit page lists the basics, including:
- Water, about one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation
- Non-perishable food
- A battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- A flashlight, extra batteries and a whistle
- A first-aid kit
- A phone charger and a backup battery
- Local maps
Its list of extras to consider includes prescription medications, glasses, cash, and important family documents saved electronically or in a waterproof container. Add a line for what each person needs, write a "last checked" date at the bottom, and decide now what you would grab with 5 minutes and with 15.
How often to review your emergency binder
A binder only helps if it is current. Ready.gov's kit page suggests you re-think your needs every year. We like to pick two dates a year and also update the binder whenever something changes: a new phone number, school, doctor, prescription, pet or address. At each review:
- Update phone numbers and contacts
- Replace photos of children and pets
- Check medication lists against current labels
- Check dates on go-bag supplies
- Confirm where each document is kept
- Walk through the plan together
Paper, tablet or both?
A printed binder works when the power is out or a phone is dead. A digital one is quick to update. You can also do both: fill it in on a tablet, then print the quick-reference and contact pages.
Our Family Emergency Binder is a 53-page hyperlinked PDF that covers every section of this checklist, plus vehicle information, "grab first" lists and a babysitter and caregiver sheet. It comes in two designs, Calm Neutral and Warm Floral. Fill it in on an iPad or Android tablet, or print any page. If digital planners are new to you, how downloads work explains how to import it into your note app and print. You'll find the matching medical binders in Family & home.
Questions
Where should we keep the binder?
Somewhere every adult in the household knows about and can reach quickly, but not on display. If you tuck paper copies of documents inside, store it as carefully as the documents.
Should original documents go in the binder?
We keep originals where they are safest and record their location in the binder. FEMA's guide above lists storage options.
What should never go in it?
Full account numbers, passwords, PINs and Social Security numbers. Write where those are kept instead.
Is this checklist official guidance?
No. It helps you organize your own information, and it is not legal, medical or safety advice. Follow the guidance of your local authorities, and see Ready.gov for official preparedness information.
Written by the Planfolk team, who design Planfolk's planners and templates.