Emergency Preparedness
The Documents
Living in an earthquake zone, the recent massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan has underscored the importance of being prepared. These days with so much dependent on information, key documents are some of the most important things to secure. These include:
–Insurance information for major property — including the house and vehicles. Having policy numbers and phone numbers for your agent will help to expedite things if you need to make a claim.
–Personal identity items — birth certificates, social security cards, passports are important. Some people choose to keep these documents in a safety deposit box or other offsite depository.
–Health items – in addition to health insurance cards, copies of prescriptions and any important medical files are good to have. If you have medications that are crucial not to miss, having a supply for several days in an emergency kit can be very helpful.
–Financial documents and items — in an emergency, access to finances can be essential. In addition to credit cards, having some cash available is helpful.
I try to keep a copy of these documents scanned, stored on a small pen drive, and in a separate location.
shared at Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday
Can’t agree more with the tip to have cash on hand–in a disaster area, electronic payment systems don’t work. Getting supplies is often a cash-only proposition. I know this from living in a hurricane prone area. Doesn’t hurt to have a couple of cans of gasoline, too, in case of shortages or gas lines.
Charlene, thanks for the comment. I used to live in a hurricane prone zone as a kid (before moving to an earthquake zone). We kept extra gasoline stored in the garage as well as sterno for cooking. Finally, we ended up getting a small generator.