If you were told you had only a few minutes to leave your home, finding paperwork would probably be the last thing you’d want to spend time doing. Yet many of the documents you could need afterward are scattered between filing cabinets, wallets, computers, and online accounts.
An evacuation could leave you away from home for days or make important paperwork temporarily or permanently inaccessible. Keeping copies of essential documents organized somewhere secure and easy to access means you can concentrate on getting everyone out safely instead of digging through drawers.
These are eight types of documents worth getting together before you ever need to leave home in a hurry.
Identification Documents
Keep accessible copies of important identification such as driver’s licenses, passports, birth certificates, and other documents used to verify your identity. If you’re displaced from home, you may need them for travel, temporary housing, financial matters, government assistance, or replacing other lost documents.
Insurance Policies
Gather your homeowners or renters, auto, health, and other important insurance information, including policy numbers and contact details. Having it readily available can make it much easier to contact your insurer and start a claim if your home, vehicle, or belongings are damaged while you’re away.
Medical Information
Keep a current list of medications, dosages, allergies, medical conditions, doctors, health insurance details, and other essential medical information for everyone in your household. If someone needs medical care during an evacuation, you won’t have to rely on memory or access records left behind at home.
Financial Records
You don’t need to evacuate with years of bank statements, but you should have a secure way to identify and access your important financial accounts. Keep essential information for bank accounts, credit cards, mortgages, retirement accounts, and other major finances somewhere you can reach even if your wallet, computer, or paper records aren’t available.
Property and Housing Records
Homeowners should have access to documents that establish their ownership and provide important information about their property, while renters should keep a copy of their lease and renters insurance details. These records may be useful when filing claims, arranging temporary housing, documenting your residence, or dealing with property damage after you’re allowed to return.
Wills, Powers of Attorney and Other Legal Documents
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives, and other important legal documents shouldn’t exist in only one inaccessible place. Keep protected copies where appropriate and make sure a trusted person knows how to locate the originals if something happens to you.
Marriage, Divorce and Family Records
Marriage certificates, divorce decrees, adoption records, custody paperwork, and other documents establishing important family relationships can be difficult to replace when you’re displaced. Copies may become useful when dealing with insurance, benefits, legal matters, government agencies, or arrangements involving children after an evacuation.
Military Service Records
Veterans and military families may want to include copies of essential service documents, such as a DD Form 214, with their other important records. Having these documents accessible can help if you need to verify military service or access veterans benefits and services while other records are unavailable.
