As a storm approaches, it’s important to prepare and make sure that you and your family stay safe. One major step is to make sure your computing devices are in good working order and that you have all the necessary documents in a safe place. Here’s a list of important documents that should be scanned and placed on a thumb drive and in your cloud storage service, in case you need to evacuate:
- Apartment or condo leases
- Home or other property deeds (mortgage, etc.)
- Estate documents
- Insurance Policy Information & Cards:
- Automobile
- Health, Life
- Homeowners, Fire
- Renters
- Flood
- Wills
- Inventory of possessions and their value
- Photos or video of your home and possessions
- List of important phone numbers
- Flood insurance documents
- Vehicle titles, leases, loan documents, etc.
- Financial statements (accounts, tax returns)
- Stocks and bonds
- Copies of recent bills (power, water, etc.)
- Government financial assistance award letters
- Birth certificates or proof of citizenship
- Social security cards
- Employment contracts or other legal documents
- Medical records, x-rays, benefits documents, etc.
- Education records (report cards, etc.)
- Passports
Don’t forget to take your thumb drive with you if you need to evacuate. If you’re unable to scan your documents, gather them up and place them in a waterproof container. Also, use your smartphone to take pictures or film your furniture, drawers, garage, and other valuable items that you may have to leave behind. Most importantly, stay safe.