Where do you keep all your important documents? Are they all kept in one place? Are they scattered in different locations?
In the event of an emergency evacuation, save valuable time by keeping all your important personal documents in one place: an Emergency Binder.
Consider what happened during Hurricane Katrina. Millions of people had to evacuate their homes, thousands were in emergency shelters. Yet many of them did not have basic ID’s to prove their identity, or verify their health or property insurance.
Not having proper identification will result in delayed or loss of basic assistance. To get replacement documents you often need to have a birth certificate and other vital documents.
If you need to evacuate, have the necessary documents and personal IDs to get emergency assistance.
Having your important documents in one place will help you to deal with medical and financial emergencies. You may think having digital copies in your phone or USB drive may be the answer. But what if there is no power or your electronic device was damaged? A printed copy is the answer.
These documents should be kept in a water tight bag and kept in a fireproof case. Keep both a printed and digital set of copies.
Documents The Should Be Included In Your Emergency Binder:
- Social security cards
- Birth certificates
- Passports Recent photos of family members
- Driver’s license
- Insurance declaration pages
- Property deeds Vehicle titles/registrations
- Wills/Power of attorney/Health care proxies
- Marriage license/divorce decrees
- Pet immunization records
- Financial statements (bank, investments, retirement accounts)
- Emergency contacts: name, address, phone numbers of personal contacts, doctors, attorneys, insurance companies in printed form and keep in a zip lock bag. Do not rely on your electronics to keep this essential information.
Consider investing on a home safe to keep in your home and a fire proof envelope for your emergency bag
Don’t worry if you don’t have all the above documents. Start with what you have available then work on the rest. Just the fact that you are starting to collect your information is a great investment of your personal life.
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What other documents would you include in your emergency bag? Please leave a comment below.
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