Natural disasters are terrifying, especially if you’re inexperienced and underprepared. You might’ve heard or, worse, been a victim of Hurricane Helene, which caused over $30 billion in damages across the southeastern side of the US. Not being able to contact your family when disaster strikes is stressful. We cover how to set up an emergency plan while going over all communication channels available during an emergency — you can do this on any smartphone, whether you own a Google Pixel, a Samsung phone, or another budget-friendly device.
Our guide focuses on steps before a natural disaster hits. You can use the available tools once you’ve turned on the relevant settings and installed the necessary apps. If you’re worried about losing phone service or battery life due to an extended outage, consider discussing it with your service provider beforehand or investing in a decent power bank .
What to do in a natural disaster
You should discuss with your family what to do in case a natural disaster hits. How will a 72-hour power outage be handled, and if the family is split, what will be the best meeting place? You should also make sure everyone has open communication channels in case plans change. It’s also important that everyone knows how to handle themselves during an emergency.
A simplified emergency plan can include the following:
Download the essential emergency preparedness apps and tools, charge your phone or power bank, and keep everything on you (if possible).
Register your medical information in case of an accident.
Register your emergency contacts.
Create an emergency 72-hour kit.
Create a household evacuation plan.
Check alerts for natural disasters.
Seek emergency shelter if needed.
Use your built-in Android tools to contact emergency services or your family.
You never know when you need to contact your family during a natural disaster. But you can prepare beforehand by creating an emergency contacts list. Your list can include your family, next of kin, and emergency services like hospital numbers, police, and health insurance.
You can do this by making a custom contact group or using the Emergency contacts feature in your Safety or Safety and emergency menu. The latter option is meant to be paired with Emergency Sharing, which lets you share location, pictures, and audio recordings with your registered emergency contacts. To get started with Emergency contacts, open Settings > Safety and emergency (or Safety) > Emergency contacts. Choose a contact registered in your contacts app.
Opting in Google Family Groups
You can unify the Android experience by setting up a Google Family Group beforehand. You can also do this on Samsung using the Family groups option. There are many benefits to using one. It allows app and subscription sharing and even lets parents turn on location-tracking for their kids. When an event or note is recorded in Google Calendars or Google Keep, you can have it sync up between all devices registered in the family group. Samsung family group options are more limited; it is mainly used for creating a shared family album, but if you have kids, you can use it to set up parental controls and learn their location.
Set up your emergency medical information
Adding emergency medical information to your phone’s optional ID card is essential. You can add personal emergency info such as allergies, blood type, and medications to your lock screen. So, if you’re ever hurt and need help, anyone with medical certification can help you. You can search for the Safety app or Safety and emergency (Samsung phones) to get started. To add/edit details, you must sign into your Google or Samsung accounts. Remember that this information will be public on your phone (it can be seen while it is unlocked), so anyone who takes it will see it.
Related How to add medical information to your Android phone Your phone can help save your life in an emergency
Use and set up Android Emergency SOS Messages
If you’re using an Android phone running Android 12+ or a Samsung phone, you can use the Emergency SOS or Samsung SOS to send messages to your family or loved ones. It lets you send your emergency contacts a 5-second clip, pictures, or a quick message. Use this tool when you need to contact family and loved ones.
Related How to set up Emergency SOS on your Android phone Setting up emergency SOS features only takes a minute, but they could be vital in a crisis
Use Google Assistant or Bixby during an emergency
In an emergency, you may not have time to review your plan and its steps. To help you through an emergency, you can use Google Assistant or Bixby.
How to set up Google Assistant for an emergency
If your phone replaced Google Assistant with Gemini, you can still invoke Google Assistant routines through Gemini. It requires saying the
How to make an emergency plan on your Android phone
