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Centre Region COG
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Family Preparedness
The Gulf Coast Hurricanes, California Wildfires and Nor'easter Winter Storms are vivid reminders of life's uncertainty. What would you do if you suddenly become victim of a natural disaster, terrorist attack, fire or other unexpected event? With seconds to escape your house what do grab? The plans you've made in advance and the items you decide to take will determine how quickly you are able to rebound from disaster. Here are recommendations to prepare for the unexpected:
Prepare a Go Kit. Organize important legal, financial and insurance paperwork into a file that you can grab if you need to flee your house or your community. Consider including birth certificates, estate planning documents, financial statements, insurance policies (homeowner's, auto, life, health), Social Security cards, a list of prescriptions and some emergency cash.
Make a Contact List. Should a disaster occur, you'll want to contact friends or relatives to let them know you are safe, or perhaps ask for help. List their names, addresses and phone numbers. Include trusted advisers such as the family physician, insurance agent and banker among others since they're all trained to help you pick up the pieces of your life.
Make a Household Inventory. Most homeowners are cannot remember all their possessions and belongings for an insurance claim after a major disaster. A household inventory such as a written list, photographs or a video walk-through of your home will help avoid such a problem. Remember to store the inventory somewhere other than your home, with a copy in your Go Kit.
Review Policies and know your limits. Six feet of water in your living room is not the time to discover you don't have flood insurance nor is the emergency room the place to learn you need a medical power of attorney. Review your insurance policies, schedule meetings with each of your advisers (insurance agent, banker, etc.) and let them know you are trying to disaster-proof your affairs.
Update Your Plans. Review and update your affairs at least annually. Some questions to ask include: (1) Has your marital status changed? (2) Has the value of your assets changed significantly? (3) Have you altered your insurance policies? (4) Have you changed jobs? (5) Has your health recently changed? If you answer yes to any of those questions, you need to update your plans.
Have a Backup. You may not be able to escape with your important paperwork. Many fires, for example, happen while the homeowners are away. To protect yourself, store backup copies of important documents in a safe-deposit box or with a trusted friend, relative or adviser. As a general rule, don't keep anything in a safe-deposit box that may be needed in an emergency, such as powers of attorney -- a safe-deposit box may not be accessible 24 hours a day and may be sealed temporarily after the box owner dies.
Evaluate Storage Solutions Carefully. Your primary focus should be on keeping your information secure. If your computer is your main storage vault, make sure it has up-to-date firewall and anti-virus protection. Use of a reputable online storage service may be a good option for those comfortable with the technology.
Keep in mind that in an emergency, portability becomes an additional concern. It would be difficult to grab your computer, with all its plugs and cables. Instead, if you want an electronic copy of your documents, consider scanning them and burning them to a CD or storing them off site with a friend or safety deposit box.
Fireproof safes may provide added protection for documents. None of us can prevent the unexpected, but putting your life back together again is much easier if you have all the pieces.
Links: Are You Ready? (Fema fact sheet) USING A GENERATOR WHEN DISASTER STRIKES (Red Cross) |
