Emergency documents checklist: have vital information after a disaster

Do you have your insurance policy account number memorized? We certainly don’t!

Living through an earthquake or other natural disaster is stressful. Getting back on your feet will likely include dealing with insurance companies, mortgage lenders, and financial institutions. Imagine having no account information because your file cabinet was lost in the earthquake due to flooding, a fire, or structural damage. Where would you start?

Having your important documents copied and stored in a safe place is a key part of preparing. It’s not a fun task, but it goes quickly once you dive in. So, spend time compiling and storing documents that you’ll need after a natural disaster. Taking a few hours on this task now will speed up your recovery process and greatly reduce stress at an already difficult time.

Our home earthquake kits come with a waterproof document holder that’s perfect for housing copies of these documents or a thumb drive with digital files.

Ideas for Handling Vital Documents

- Keep hard copies with your kit in a waterproof, fire-proof safe.

- Scan documents and put on a thumb drive and keep it in your kit (realize you may not immediately have access to a computer due to lack of electricity).

- Send a copy of the thumb drive to your trusted emergency contact person.

- Scan docs and send to yourself via email, keep on your phone.

- Scan docs and store in the Cloud (keep in mind these documents would likely not be immediately accessible due to lack of electricity and internet).

 





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