• The basics. Get an unlined index card and on the front type your name, home address, and relevant telephone numbers: home, work, cell. Below that, type the names, address, and telephone numbers—home, work, and cell—of local and out-of-town emergency contacts. You should include out-of-town contacts in case emergency workers are dealing with a citywide catastrophe. In that event, your local contacts may be unreachable.

• Insurance info. Below your contact numbers, type the name of your health insurance carrier, your group number, your ID number, and your social security number. Even though most insurance carriers now use a non-social security ID, many hospitals still ask for your social. Finally, type your date of birth.

• Medical history. Turn the card over. Type the name and phone number(s) of your primary care physician and any specialist (cardiologist, pediatrician, rheumatologist, oncologist) emergency workers should contact. Below that, list your blood type and allergies—especially involving medications. List the medications you take and the time you take each dose. Be sure to note whether missing a dose could lead to serious consequences. Include your pharmacy name and contact information. Also list herbal remedies, vitamins, alternative therapies, and over-the-counter medications—any of which might interact with anesthesia or other meds. Finally, list your immunization dates. If you have not had a tetanus shot in the last decade, talk to your primary care physician about getting one.

• Special needs. Are you HIV positive or do you have any strain of hepatitis? Do you have epilepsy, heart problems, high blood pressure, or any psychiatric disorder that may be aggravated by stress? Do you need glasses, a wheelchair, or hearing aid? Describe your condition or equipment requirements.

Make sure you and your loved ones find a convenient way to carry the cards, even around the house. That’s the thing about catastrophic emergencies: You don’t know when or where they’ll occur. If you’re outside in the garden, your son is playing at a neighbor’s, your daughter is in her bedroom, and your spouse is in the living room watching TV when an earthquake decimates the neighborhood, you won’t be able to retrieve the cards from your desk drawer.