Every number, policy and plan your household would need, filled in once and kept where you can grab it.
A set of fill-in pages built on Ready.gov's and FEMA's own lists: who's in the household, who to call, what each person takes, where the documents are, what's insured, how the home shuts off, where the pets go and where you'd go. Print it, fill it in in pencil, and review it once a year.
- Instant PDF download
- 114 pages
- Print it for your household
- 12 chapters of fill-in sheets across 114 pages
- A page per person, per pet and per policy, and a document location sheet with 40 rows
- A family communication plan, a wallet card and a child's card to copy
- An annual review checklist, a record of updates and an alarm and drill log
Secure card payment by Stripe, in US dollars. You can download it as soon as you pay. By buying you agree to our terms of sale, including that digital downloads can't be returned.
- Instant PDF download
- 114 pages
- Print it for your household
After a disaster, the first job is paperwork. Ready.gov says so.
Ready.gov's financial preparedness page puts it plainly: "having access to personal financial, insurance, medical and other records is crucial for starting the recovery process quickly and efficiently." FEMA will ask you to prove your identity with a Social Security number, to list your losses, to photograph the damage and to keep receipts.
Most of that information is already in your home, spread across a filing cabinet, three phones, a glovebox and your memory. The binder puts it on pages that stay together: who's in the household, who to call, what each person takes, where the originals are, what's insured, and what to do about the gas, the water and the pets.
It follows Ready.gov's four lists (household identification, financial and legal documentation, medical information, household contact information) and adds the details the federal forms leave out. It never asks for a password, a PIN or a full Social Security number.
What's inside, chapter by chapter
12 chapters across 114 pages. Each opens with an "In an emergency, do this first" box and ends with its numbered sources, and most carry an "honest bit" that says where the official pages fall short.
How to use this binder
- Ready.gov's four lists, and which chapter holds each
- What FEMA will ask for after a declared disaster, and why the originals stay home
- A set-up sheet: copies to make, and where each one lives
Household members
- A household summary and one page per person
- Medical basics, and the help each person would need in an emergency
- A section for children under six and school-aged children
Emergency contacts and the family communication plan
- The out-of-area contact, and when to text instead of call
- 911, 988, 211 and Poison Control, with what each one does
- Meeting places, an alerts sheet and a wallet card for every person
Medical
- A medicine list with days of supply on hand
- Devices that need power, and the FDA's rule for insulin out of the refrigerator: up to 28 days between 59°F and 86°F
- Doctors, pharmacies, health insurance and medical ID
Important documents and where the originals are
- A map, not a filing cabinet: 40 document rows in four groups
- How to replace a lost Social Security card, passport, Medicare card or green card
- A home inventory for insurance
Insurance and money
- A policy sheet with ten rows, from homeowners and flood to auto, health, life and pet, and a claim log
- Flood insurance: why homeowners policies don't typically cover it, and the 30-day wait
- Small bills, direct deposit, and a FEMA notes sheet for the application
Home: utilities, shut-offs and alarms
- Gas, water and electricity: where each shut-off is and when to use it
- Smoke and CO alarms: where they go, monthly tests and when to replace them
- Two ways out of every room
Pets
- One page per pet, with records, ID and a photo
- A 13-item pet kit checklist
- A destinations sheet: places called ahead of time, with the answer written down
Evacuation plan
- Your zone, and routes and destinations in different directions
- A 10-point list for before you walk out the door, and a 24-item go-bag list
- The car, finding a shelter, and coming home
Shelter-in-place and power outage plan
- The three kinds of shelter, and what in your home needs electricity
- The first hour of an outage, and the carbon monoxide rules for generators
- The CDC's food rules at a glance: 4 hours in a refrigerator, 48 in a full freezer, 24 in a half-full one
Children and school, and older relatives
- A school and childcare sheet with the authorized pickup list
- A backup plan if a parent can't get home, and a child's card for the backpack
- An older relative sheet, and the caregiver's plan
Annual review and record of updates
- What each source says to check, and how often
- Change triggers: what changed, and which pages to update
- A record of updates and an alarm and drill log
Look inside
Real pages from the book. Swipe for more, tapClick any page to see it full size.
Secure card payment by Stripe, in US dollars. You can download it as soon as you pay. By buying you agree to our terms of sale, including that digital downloads can't be returned.
Who it's for
It's for you if
- You've meant to write down the policy numbers, the doctors and the out-of-area contact, and never had one place to put them
- Someone else might need to run your household for a few days: a relative, a neighbor, a grown child
- You live where evacuations happen, or you have a pet, a child in school or an older relative who'd need help
- You want to be able to prove who you are and start a claim from a motel room
Honestly, you can skip it if
- You want advice on what to buy. The binder holds your information; it names no products and gives no prices
- You want your passwords and account numbers in one printed place. It doesn't ask for them, by design
- You'd rather use Ready.gov's own fillable plan and FEMA's financial first aid kit, which are free. The binder doesn't replace them; it adds the room they leave out
Built on official sources, not opinions
- Every figure names its source, and each chapter ends with a numbered list of them: 480 source lines across the twelve chapters.
- Where a page goes beyond what the official pages say, the chapter's "honest bit" says so: the once-a-year review date, for example, is the book's own convention.
- Every fact was checked against its official source page before publication in November 2026.
From the team behind PreparedStates's free live trackers for power outages, NWS alerts, hurricanes and wildfires, built on the same public data and the same rule: every figure names its source. PreparedStates is independent and not affiliated with the US government.
The Household Set: $39.99 for all three
The binder holds your household's information, the power guide decides what you'd run and how, and the pantry plan builds the food store. Bought separately they come to $49.97 (The Family Emergency Binder $14.99 + The Home Backup Power Guide $14.99 + The Long-Term Food Storage and Pantry Plan $19.99). Together, $39.99, as one download.
Secure card payment by Stripe, in US dollars. You can download it as soon as you pay. By buying you agree to our terms of sale, including that digital downloads can't be returned.
Questions
Is it the same as Ready.gov's family emergency plan?+
No, and it doesn't replace it. Ready.gov's fillable plan, the Family Communication Plan card and FEMA's Emergency Financial First Aid Kit are free, and the binder points you to them. It puts the same information on pages that stay together, with room for the details the federal forms leave out.
Does it ask for passwords or Social Security numbers?+
No. It asks where a password list is kept, not the passwords, and for the last four digits of a Social Security number at most. Social Security cards and tax returns stay with the originals.
Does it cover FEMA assistance?+
Chapter 6 walks through applying: before you apply, applying, proving who you are and where you live, and after, with a FEMA notes sheet. It also says plainly that FEMA help only follows a presidential disaster declaration and is not a substitute for insurance.
What format is it?+
A PDF, on Letter-size pages. It opens in the PDF viewer that's already on your phone, tablet or computer: iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows or Chromebook. No app, no account, nothing to install.
How does the download work?+
As soon as Stripe confirms your payment, the page you land on gives you your downloads and a personal link to them that works for at least a year. If you lose it, email us from the address you paid with and we'll send it again.
Can I print it?+
Yes, and we'd encourage it: paper still works when the power and the phone are out. Your license lets you print as many copies as your household needs, and give a printed copy to family who'd be helping you in an emergency.
Can I get a refund?+
Because the files are digital downloads you can keep as soon as you've paid, all sales are final and we don't give refunds for a change of mind. If a file won't download or open, or something in it is wrong, email us within 30 days of buying: we'll fix it, send a working copy, or refund you in full. If you were charged twice by mistake, we'll refund the extra charge.
Is it a subscription?+
No. You pay once, and the file is yours to keep. There's nothing to cancel.
Is it medical or safety advice for my situation?+
No. It's general information built on official US guidance. It doesn't replace your doctor, your pharmacist, or instructions from emergency services and your state or local emergency management office. In an emergency, call 911.
Fill it in once. Keep it where you can grab it.
The Family Emergency Binder. Instant PDF download, paid once, yours to keep.
Secure card payment by Stripe, in US dollars. You can download it as soon as you pay. By buying you agree to our terms of sale, including that digital downloads can't be returned.
The Family Emergency Binder is general information to help your household prepare. It is not legal, financial or medical advice. Written by Tom Calder for PreparedStates, sold by TMR Digital. PreparedStates is independent and not affiliated with the US government. Terms of sale.