Important documents to keep ready for an emergency
In a fire, flood, or fast evacuation, the things hardest to replace are documents. Gathering copies now, while it is calm, saves enormous stress later and can speed up insurance and aid when you need them most.
What to gather
Make copies of:
- Identification: driver's licenses or passports, birth certificates, Social Security cards.
- Insurance: home or renters, auto, health, and life policies, with contact numbers.
- Financial: a list of bank and credit accounts, and any account you would need to reach.
- Property: your deed or lease, and vehicle titles and registration.
- Medical: prescriptions, immunization records, conditions, and your doctors.
- Personal: emergency contacts, wills, custody or marriage papers, and pet records.
How to store them
- Keep the originals in a waterproof and ideally fireproof container or bag at home.
- Keep a digital copy as well, in an encrypted cloud account or a password-protected drive.
- Put a small set of the essentials in your go-bag, in case you have to leave fast.
- Keep some cash with them, since cards and ATMs may be down.
Keep it current
Documents go stale. Refresh them after major life changes (a move, a new policy, a new family member), and update the digital copy at the same time so the two never drift apart.
Quick checklist
- Copy your ID, insurance, financial, property, medical, and personal papers.
- Store originals waterproof and fireproof at home.
- Keep an encrypted digital copy too.
- Put the essentials plus cash in your go-bag.
- Update after any major life change.