I’m putting together a couple of notebooks (might turn into more). The first is a Grab and Go Emergency notebook with copies of important documents in it. I’m thinking to make a second copy and leave it at my mom’s house or something so if my house burns to the ground while I’m away, I still have access to my information. Here’s a long ol’ list I got from a preparedness fair of what to put in it (most of these I don’t even have, so they aren’t going in mine, but I guess as you get older you get more of this stuff):
Proof of Identification
*Driver’s License
*Concealed weapons permit/s
*Birth Certificates
*Social Security Cards
*Passports
*Marriage License
Property Records
*Mortgage/Deed
*Rental agreement
*Video, photos, lists of inventory (my insurance guy said to make sure I am in the photos or video–better proof that it was actually my stuff I guess)
*Receipts for major purchases
*Payment record for major repairs
*Appraisals of jewelry, other valuables
*Titles to vehicles
*Cemetery lot information
*Firearm inventory/Serial Numbers
Insurance Policies
*Homeowners
*Health
*Life
*Disability
*Automobile
Medical Information
*Immunizations, other records
*Prescription information (drug, dosage)
*Health Insurance ID Cards
*Physicians names and phone numbers
*Living will
*History of illnesses, accidents, surgeries
*Power of Attorney for health care
*Dental records
Estate Planning
*Wills, trusts
*Power of attorney
*Funeral instructions
*Attorney’s name and phone number
Financial Records
*Tax returns (2 years)
*Credit cards front and back
*Stocks, bonds, CD’s, money market
*Recent bank statement
Other
*Personal address book
*Backup of important computer files
*Usernames and passwords for online accounts
*Key to safety deposit box
*Recent photograph
*List of where original documents are kept
*Extra set of car and house keys
*Map of area and phone numbers of places you could go in case of evacuation
*Numbers of gas and electric company
*Emergency numbers
Whew. Obviously it will take a while to get all this together and copied and I still have to buy the notebook, but I’ve started with some of the personal identification documents. You want to get the information for every member of the family, so I’ll also have to catch my husband home so I can copy the contents of his wallet. I was thinking if the documents are put in page protectors it would probably be best to keep them whole and so they don’t accidentally tear out of the notebook, otherwise, 3 hole punch them.
Then put the notebook somewhere not hidden too deep, but camoflauged enough so you know what it is and can get it quickly if needed, but it doesn’t scream to theives to steal it (it has your WHOLE LIFE in it!)
My second (and maybe third) notebook is for any prep information I have that I want to keep. Remember if the power is out you won’t be able to look it up on the internet! So print it off and put it in a notebook. Right now I have a file folder packed with stuff that is going to go into this notebook so I can actually use it instead of being stuffed in a file where I’ll never look at it if I even remember it’s there. Instructions, recipes, information. Anything you think will be useful. Copy, print, write stuff down and put it all in one place.
HEY, don’t stop reading! There were some good questions brought up in the comments! Click on comments and read on! :)