Have important papers ready in case you need to evacuate

by Jen (March 3, 2008)

It’s unsettling to think about what you would do if your home burned down or you had to evacuate for some reason. Obviously, you’d save all the people and pets first, and grab some precious, irreplaceable items along the way, if possible.

What about important papers? What about your insurance information - the very items you need to begin replacing your home or getting medical treatment for anyone who was hurt? My recommendation: store your originals off-site. I recommend a safety deposit box at a bank for the hard copy originals. The only disadvantage is that you have to wait for business hours to get your stuff, but in the meantime, you’re going to have some copies to work from.

Where you store copies is important, because these papers could be a goldmine for identity thefts. I don’t recommend vehicles, since they can be stolen. Online storage of scanned versions of your papers is an option, if you trust the company storing the information and they have a strong privacy policy. A lot of people recommend Box.net for this purpose. Some people trust Gmail or Googledocs. With your documents online, all you need to do is get to a computer at a library, and you’ve got what you need.

Another option is a command center, both printed and electronic. Put together a binder of all the stuff you’d need, and keep it near your front door along with a flash drive or CD full of scans of all the same info - encrypted, if you’re worried about it getting stolen. But it’s handy for non-emergencies, too.

Another option for places to store copies is: friends, family and neighbors. Obviously you need to really trust these people both not to lose your CD, flash drive or binder and also not to use it or put it where a less than ethical visitor might get hold of it.

What do you need to put in these various spaces? I compiled a list a while back on this post here, but now I’m going to add to it.

Electronic and hard copies of:

• Deed/title/mortgage papers on your home
• Up-to-date medical insurance information
• An updated will
• Power of attorney information
• Life insurance info
• A basic guide to your bank accounts - numbers, passwords
• A basic list of monthly bills so you don’t forget to pay them and/or notify them that you need an emergency extension
• Doctor and vet contact info
• Copies of social security cards
• Allergy information for you and your family (you may have this memorized, but if you need to let your kids stay with someone for a couple of days, this is a handy thing to give them)
• Pet care info (in case you need to let someone sit your pets, this will enable them to stick as closely as possible to your pet’s routine to reduce trauma)

Physical items for safety deposit box:

• Spare keys for both house and car
• Your social security cards (these should always be in a safety deposit box; on the rare occasions you need them, you can go get it out, but in many cases a copy will do)

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