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Guide · GUIDE 06

72-hour plan for the family

Last reviewed on 29.06.2026

A 72-hour plan organises the first three days of an emergency: who calls whom, where the family meeting point is, which documents and medicines are within reach. Important: "72 hours" is an EU recommendation. The official Swiss recommendation for supplies is broader and aims at about one week (at least 9 litres of water per person).

In an emergency the family is rarely in the same place: work, school, on the move. An emergency plan clarifies in advance who collects whom, where you meet and how you reach each other – even when the mobile network is overloaded.

Why exactly 72 hours?

In a large-scale event it can take up to three days for help and supplies to be fully available again. During this time, every household should be able to look after itself – that is the basic idea of 72-hour preparedness.

A good plan reduces stress, because the key questions are settled in advance: who collects the children? Where do we meet if the mobile network is dead? Who takes the emergency bag and documents?

The plan

  1. Agree on two meeting points: one in the neighbourhood, one outside
  2. Designate a contact person outside the region – everyone checks in there
  3. Set pick-up rules for school & daycare
  4. Assign roles: who collects whom, who takes the bag & documents
  5. Know the municipality's emergency meeting point

How it stays effective

  1. Rehearse it once a year with the children
  2. Plan on paper: in the emergency bag & in the document folder
  3. In an event, SMS rather than calls – it spares the network
  4. Alertswiss app: store your personal emergency plan digitally

What belongs in the 72-hour plan?

The plan is only as good as the information in it – and that must also be available without power and network, so on paper.

  1. Contact list on paper: family, school/daycare, family doctor, out-of-region contact person
  2. Emergency numbers: 112 (European emergency number), 117 police, 118 fire brigade, 144 ambulance, 1414 Rega, 145 Tox Info
  3. Meeting points with address and simple directions – understandable for children too
  4. Copies of important documents in a waterproof sleeve (ID, insurance)
  5. Location of the emergency bag and supplies known to everyone

Common mistakes

  1. Storing the plan only digitally – not accessible during a power outage
  2. Setting only one meeting point, which then becomes inaccessible
  3. In an event, everyone phoning at once and overloading the network
  4. Creating a plan but never rehearsing it with the children
  5. Not knowing your own municipality's emergency meeting point

Frequently asked questions

How do I create an emergency plan for my family?

Arrange two meeting points: one in your neighbourhood, one outside · Designate an out-of-area contact person – everyone reports to them · Set up rules for picking children up from school and daycare · Assign roles: who collects whom, who takes the emergency bag and documents · Know your local community assembly point

Why exactly 72 hours?

In a large-scale emergency, it can take up to three days before help and supplies are functioning again across the region. During this time, every household should be able to look after itself.

How can I reach my family if the mobile network is overloaded?

Designate an out-of-area contact person through whom everyone reports in, and in an emergency use SMS instead of calls – this saves network capacity.

Official sources