An emergency binder can help you resume your life, faster.
By Elizabeth Brown, American Red Cross
We often plan for our family’s immediate safety in times of disaster, but not for the recovery process. After an emergency, when it’s time to resume life as usual, you will need personal, medical and financial information to get you and your family back on your feet.
The American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming encourages families to plan for this recovery process by creating an emergency binder. This vital resource should contain items like insurance documents, copies of identification, bank information and medical records. Keep your binder somewhere accessible, so you can quickly grab it in a crisis. You may also consider keeping a digital version of this binder in the cloud. Be sure to securely store both the physical and digital information to protect your privacy.
Check your binder twice a year to ensure all documents are still up to date and valid. Expired and inaccurate paperwork will not serve you in the aftermath of a disaster.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
- Insurance policies
- Birth certificates
- Passports/drivers licenses
- Marriage/divorce paperwork
- Adoption paperwork
- Wills
- Military records
- Immunization records
- Banking/credit card information
- Vehicle information including titles and extra keys
- Homeowner paperwork including mortgage/rental paperwork and extra keys
- Social security cards
- Basic tax return information
- Pictures of valuable items and paperwork associated with them
- Pet information including shot records, microchip information, vet records and pictures
- Contact list with names, addresses and phone numbers
- All your passwords for your accounts
