It is frightening to think about how quickly a storm, fire, or earthquake can disrupt daily life. Many families never expect to be caught in such a moment, yet disasters strike every year. Creating a plan is not just about preparing for worst-case scenarios; it is about giving yourself and your loved ones the confidence to act calmly when life feels out of control.
This guide will walk you step by step through building a household plan, showing you how to protect your home, family, and memories. Then, in the second half, we will explore how corporations and IT professionals design disaster recovery plans. While the technical language may sound distant from your living room, understanding it can help you borrow best practices and recognize the value of preparedness.
Some tools, like the Recovery and Resilience Guides from the US Economic Development Administration or the USDA's Disaster Resource Center can help both businesses and families alike. We offer a good intro in our article What is Disaster Recovery? A Guide for Homeowners.
Start by asking yourself, “What are the biggest threats in my area?” For some, it may be hurricanes; for others, it may be wildfires, tornadoes, or floods. This risk assessment gives you a clear picture of what you are up against. Write down each possible disruptive event and consider how it could impact your household.
If you live near a river, for example, water damage is a serious concern. If your home is in an older neighborhood, power outages may occur during storms. By naming these risks, you give yourself a starting point to build your plan.
Businesses conduct what they call a business impact analysis, and families can do the same. Ask, “What would happen if we lost access to our house for a week? What if we lost power for three days? What if our important papers were destroyed?”
This analysis will show you which parts of daily life are most critical. For instance, losing your refrigerator full of food may cost hundreds of dollars. Losing prescription medications could threaten your health. And losing family photos could be heartbreaking. Documenting these impacts will help you prioritize.
Every member of the family should know their role. Who will be responsible for turning off utilities if there is a gas leak? Who will grab the emergency kit? Who will handle communication with extended family? Assigning roles reduces panic.
Think about children as well. A teenager may be asked to care for pets, while younger children may need simple instructions like, “Stay with mom or dad until told otherwise.” Clarity keeps everyone safer.
Emergency procedures should be clear and easy to follow. Write down what to do during common scenarios: fire, flood, or severe weather. For example, in a fire, the procedure may be: leave immediately, meet by the mailbox, and call 911.
Know what resources will be available to you locally; see our article on How to Access Disaster Recovery Services in Your Community to learn more.
Keep your procedures in a family notebook and practice them. A disaster recovery plan only works if everyone knows the steps ahead of time.
Many people instinctively grab their laptop or photo albums when a disaster occurs. A study by AA Insurance found that 36% of people would reach for their desktop and laptop computers or tablet and 33% would grab a family photo album. Why? Because they want to save memories and information.
Fortunately, there are better ways. Use data backup services like iCloud, Google Photos, or other cloud based services to keep digital files safe. These systems act like a personal data center, storing sensitive data away from harm. If disaster strikes, you can recover data without risking your life to grab physical items.
For households that rely on important documents, scan copies and use secure data protection tools to store them. This minimizes the risk of data loss and makes it easier to restore data later.
Families may not think in terms of “critical assets,” but you have them. They include prescription medications, vital records (birth certificates, insurance documents), cash for emergencies, and keys. Place these items in a fireproof safe or a go-bag that can be carried quickly.
Homeowners should also think about property: is there a sump pump to protect the basement? Are smoke detectors tested regularly? These physical assets reduce risks.
During a disaster, communication breaks down quickly. Design a simple communication plan:
In some cases, text messages may go through even when calls do not. Social media check-ins can also show loved ones that you are safe. Practicing this plan makes it easier to resume normal operations at home once the immediate crisis has passed.
Do not just write your plan once and tuck it away. Test it. Have a family drill where everyone acts out the steps. Afterward, ask, “What went well? What do we need to change?”
This ongoing recovery effort ensures that when disaster occurs, your plan is realistic and usable. Families that practice are far more likely to act quickly and safely when faced with a disruptive event.
For families, “training” may mean showing children how to call 911, teaching them the sound of the smoke detector, or explaining how to unlock doors and windows. It may also mean taking a first aid or CPR class.
Think of this as your own incident response team. The more confident each person feels, the smoother the response will be.
Sometimes your main plan will not work. Roads may be blocked, or your primary meeting spot may be unsafe. Have contingency plans. Identify a secondary location, keep some supplies in your car, and know where local shelters are.
Contingency planning is about flexibility. Families that prepare alternative routes and backup strategies are better able to recover systems of daily life when the unexpected happens.
Get more information from our Disaster Recovery Solutions for Homeowners article.
Most of the language around disaster recovery comes from businesses and IT departments. At first glance, business processes might feel irrelevant to your home and family. But many of the same ideas apply to households. Corporations talk about “critical assets,” “data backup,” "reduced recovery costs" or “communication plans,” and those are the same priorities you’ll face after a natural disaster or other emergency. Knowing the vocabulary helps you make sense of insurance paperwork, use cloud services more effectively, and understand what recovery experts are talking about.
That’s why we’ve created this glossary of disaster recovery terms. Think of it as a translation guide. Each phrase has a professional definition and then a homeowner example you can relate to.
A disaster recovery plan (DRP) is the official document businesses use to guide recovery after disruption.
Homeowner example: A binder or digital folder with your family’s emergency contacts, insurance paperwork, and a copy of your lease or mortgage.
A procedure plan is the step-by-step instruction manual for recovery.
Homeowner example: A written household checklist for what to do if a fire or flood forces evacuation.
The disaster recovery process is the sequence of actions taken after a disaster event: respond, restore, review.
Homeowner example: Evacuating during a wildfire, filing insurance claims, then repairing damage.
Disaster recovery strategies are the methods chosen to restore normal life.
Homeowner example: Using savings, insurance payouts, and community aid to rebuild after a flood.
Disaster recovery plan examples show how others prepare.
Homeowner example: Templates online that demonstrate how to organize an evacuation plan and contact list for your household.
Disaster scenarios are the “what if” events that guide planning.
Homeowner example: Preparing for both a house fire and a week-long power outage.
A disaster event is the actual incident that causes disruption.
Homeowner example: A hurricane, earthquake, or cyberattack that affects your home and finances.
Risk analysis is identifying possible threats and estimating their likelihood.
Homeowner example: Checking flood maps to see if your house is in a high-risk area.
Risk management means taking steps to reduce those risks.
Homeowner example: Buying renters insurance, keeping documents in a fireproof safe, and building an emergency fund.
A business impact analysis evaluates the financial and practical effects of disruptions.
Homeowner example: Asking, “What would it cost us if we couldn’t access our home for two weeks?”
Business continuity is the ability to keep vital functions going during a disaster.
Homeowner example: Ensuring bills are paid, meals are provided, and children get to school while you’re displaced.
A broader business continuity strategy goes beyond short-term fixes to long-term recovery.
Homeowner example: Planning how to sustain income and housing over months if repairs take a long time.
Critical business operations are the activities that must continue.
Homeowner example: Keeping access to money, food, shelter, and medical care.
Business recovery is the effort to return to normal after disruption.
Homeowner example: Restoring utilities, replacing essentials, and catching up on overdue bills.
To resume business operations means to return to normal routines.
Homeowner example: Getting children back to school, returning to work, and paying bills on schedule.
Data backup is making copies of important information.
Homeowner example: Storing tax documents on both a flash drive and a cloud account.
A backup system protects your most important files from risks like power outages, natural disasters, or hardware failure that can wipe out everything stored on a single device.
Homeowner example: Combining iCloud backups with an external hard drive at home.
Data replication is creating duplicate sets of information in multiple places.
Homeowner example: Saving family photos on both a laptop and in the cloud.
Continuous data replication updates those duplicates in real time.
Homeowner example: A phone app that instantly syncs new photos to cloud storage.
Data storage refers to where files are kept, whether physical or digital.
Homeowner example: A fireproof safe for birth certificates and a cloud service for digital files.
Data protection ensures information is preserved and accessible.
Homeowner example: Encrypting sensitive files and saving backup copies in the cloud.
Data security keeps information safe from theft or hacking.
Homeowner example: Using strong passwords and two-factor authentication for online accounts.
Data loss occurs when files are erased or damaged beyond recovery.
Homeowner example: Losing school records stored only on a broken hard drive.
Lost data is the result of failed backups.
Homeowner example: Family photos deleted from a phone with no backup system in place.
Critical data is the most valuable information to protect.
Homeowner example: Social Security cards, banking info, and home deeds.
IT infrastructure is the foundation of technology systems.
Homeowner example: Your Wi-Fi router, laptop, and smartphone apps.
IT systems are the tools and devices that keep information flowing.
Homeowner example: Household computers, phones, and smart home devices.
System components are the individual pieces of your technology.
Homeowner example: The router, external drive, and cloud account that together form your backup system.
The entire system is all of your technology working as one.
Homeowner example: Your internet, computers, and cloud storage supporting each other so nothing is lost.
A data center is a facility where servers and storage systems are housed.
Homeowner example: The secure server farms that hold your cloud backups.
A data center facility is the physical site where servers live.
Homeowner example: The “vault” that protects your photos and documents online.
A physical data center is the tangible building and equipment behind the cloud.
Homeowner example: The actual server rooms operated by companies like Amazon Web Services.
The primary data center is the main hub for data operations.
Homeowner example: Your main household computer, backed up to the cloud or an external drive.
Disaster recovery sites are alternate locations to continue operations.
Homeowner example: A friend’s home where your family could stay temporarily.
A disaster recovery team is the group in charge of recovery.
Homeowner example: Your family, with each person assigned a role: one packs documents, another contacts relatives.
An incident management plan is a guide for handling specific events.
Homeowner example: A checklist for what to do if your wallet is stolen while you’re evacuated.
Key components are the essential building blocks of any recovery plan.
Homeowner example: An emergency kit, insurance details, and a safe meeting place.
Critical assets are the possessions or systems most important to protect.
Homeowner example: Legal IDs, pets, and irreplaceable photos.
Critical systems are the technology or utilities that must function.
Homeowner example: Electricity, heating, and internet access.
A business continuity plan is the roadmap that ensures essential services keep running during and after a disaster, helping families or companies return to normal business operations as quickly as possible.
Homeowner example: Your family’s written plan for staying in a hotel, keeping kids in school, and paying bills if your home is unlivable for several weeks.
A cloud disaster recovery plan uses internet-based services to restore lost files and systems without relying on physical equipment. Cloud tools make recovery faster and often less expensive than traditional methods.
Homeowner example: Setting up Google Drive or iCloud so your family photos, tax returns, and insurance documents are safe in the cloud, even if your computer or phone is destroyed.
A network disaster recovery plan focuses on restoring internet and communication systems.
Homeowner example: Knowing how to reset your router or use mobile data if Wi-Fi fails.
An IT disaster recovery plan centers on restoring technology systems.
Homeowner example: Resetting accounts and reinstalling apps after a laptop is destroyed.
A virtualized disaster recovery plan uses virtual machines or cloud platforms to restore service.
Homeowner example: Logging into a cloud desktop from any device to access files.
Natural disasters are events like floods, hurricanes, or wildfires.
Homeowner example: Local risks that drive your family’s specific disaster recovery strategies.
Human error is when mistakes cause data loss or damage.
Homeowner example: Accidentally deleting files or misplacing vital documents.
Electronic data interchange (EDI) is the secure transfer of information between computers.
Homeowner example: Insurance companies may use EDI to process claims quickly after a storm.
Recovery point objective is how much data you can afford to lose between backups.
Homeowner example: Deciding that losing more than a week of files would be unacceptable.
Recovery time objective is how quickly you need systems restored.
Homeowner example: A family goal to have heat and shelter restored within 48 hours.
Rapid recovery means getting systems or routines back quickly.
Homeowner example: Using a generator so your home has power within hours of an outage.
Enterprise resource management is how businesses coordinate resources.
Homeowner example: Tracking your family’s expenses, food, and supplies during recovery.
Even though this glossary uses professional disaster recovery language, the underlying lesson is simple: prepare ahead of time so your family can bounce back faster. When you understand the terms, you’ll also understand the principles that protect your home.
For a practical way to start, download our Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Workbook. You’ll find worksheets and checklists designed for households, not corporations.
And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember you don’t have to do this alone. Credit.org offers disaster recovery counseling and resources to help you create a plan, protect your finances, and recover with confidence.
