Neighborhood and Church Readiness Plan

When something big hits, the closest help is whoever is nearby: the family next door, the man across the street with the chainsaw, the folks you sit with on Sunday. Ready.gov says that after an emergency you may need to survive on your own for several days. Neighbors fill that gap.

This page helps a street, a small group or a whole congregation get organized before that day: who has what skills and supplies, who needs a knock on the door, how you will reach each other, and where you will meet. The free printable has every roster with lines to write on.

"Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." ~ Galatians 6:2 (KJV)

Step 1: Start Small

You do not need a committee. Start with the five or six households closest to you, or one small group at church. Ready.gov tells older adults to build a support network that includes family, friends, caregivers, neighbors and fellow congregants from their place of worship. You are building that network from the other side.

Name one coordinator and one backup. Their job is to keep the roster current and call the first meeting, not to run everybody's life.

Step 2: The Skills and Supplies Roster

Ask each household what they could offer if the power and roads were out for a few days. Write it down. Keep it voluntary and keep it private within the group.

• ☐ Medical training (nurse, EMT, first aid or CPR certified)
• ☐ Chainsaw, and someone trained to run it
• ☐ Generator or battery power station
• ☐ Truck or trailer
• ☐ Ham or GMRS radio license and a radio
• ☐ Extra water storage or a well with a hand pump
• ☐ Childcare or pet care
• ☐ Can cook for a crowd

Step 3: The Check-On List

Ready.gov says winter storms can put older adults, children, sick people and pets at greater risk. Write down who on your street or in your congregation lives alone, is older, has a disability, depends on powered medical equipment, or has small children and no car. Pair each person with two households who will check on them. Two, so one can be away.

Ask before you add someone. Some will not want to be on a list, and that is their call.

Step 4: How You Will Reach Each Other

• Phone tree: the coordinator calls three, each of them calls three. Write it down on paper.
• Text group: works until the cell network goes down.
• Radio: GMRS rules allow more transmit power than FRS walkie-talkies (up to 50 watts for mobile and base stations, versus 2 watts for FRS), but federal rules say a valid individual license is required to operate a GMRS station. A licensee may let immediate family members operate the licensee's stations. Check the GMRS rules before you buy.
• Weather and news: a NOAA weather radio in every household.
• The fallback: a meeting place and a time. If nothing else works, everyone who can walks there at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

For the family-level version of this, see the support network step in our Power Outage Family Plan.

Step 5: Meeting Places

Pick a primary meeting place close by (a church parking lot, a corner, one household's porch) and a backup in case the first is unsafe or flooded. Write both on the printable. For storms, our Severe Weather Plan covers shelter spots for each household.

Step 6: Get Trained Together

FEMA's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. A CERT class is a good thing for a small group or a church to take together. Ask your local emergency management office when the next one runs.

Step 7: After It Passes, Give Thanks

When it is over, get the group together. Ask what worked and what did not, and update the roster. Thank the people who showed up. Then thank God, who gave you neighbors in the first place.

Gear for This Plan

One or two picks per item. Paid links are marked. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. More picks live on our light and communications gear page.

Weather and News for Every Household

Midland ER310 (paid link). A NOAA weather radio with a rechargeable battery you can top up by hand crank or solar, with a flashlight built in. Honest downside: it receives only. It will not let you talk to the neighbors.

Light for the Coordinator

Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp (paid link). Hands free for checking on people after dark. Honest downside: more light than you need for a bedside backup.

Still on the List, No Pick Yet

GMRS radios. We will add a pick once we have one we are willing to stand behind, and we will put the license rule right next to it.

Get the Printable Plan

The free printable has the skills and supplies roster, the check-on list with two households for each person, the phone tree, and the meeting places. Print it for every household in your group. See all of our free printable guides.

Where This Advice Comes From

• Ready.gov: Older Adults
• Ready.gov: Winter Weather
• FEMA: Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 47 CFR 95.1705 (GMRS licenses)
• Product details: as on our gear page and our other guides

Last checked: October 11, 2026 (Ready.gov, FEMA, eCFR). Product details as on our gear page.