Critical Documents List
Emergency preparedness experts recommend keeping a file folder of your most important personal documents that you can “grab and go” if you need to evacuate ahead of a natural disaster. Obviously, the safest place to store these documents is a fire-proof safe. But what if an evacuation order comes while you’re at work or school, and you can’t get home first? What if you return home to discover a bare foundation, with all your critical papers lost or destroyed?
Many people see the value of digitizing your important personal documents to give you a head start toward rebuilding your life if the worst occurs. Here is some valuable advice to help you with your personal disaster recovery plan.
Personal Documents
Social Security Cards
Birth Certificates
Marriage Certificates
Passports
Wills and Trusts
Medical History and Immunization Records
Health Insurance Cards Prescriptions (medicines and glasses/contacts)
Financial Records
Bank Statements
Retirement Account Statements
Credit Card Statements
Proof of Residency (Electric Bill and/or Driver’s License) Tax Returns (for the past three years)
Real Estate Documents
Deeds and Surveys
Loan Documents
Insurance Policies with Agents contact information
Digital Home Inventory
Vehicle Records
Vehicle Titles
Loan Documents
Insurance Policies with Agents contact information
Business Owners
If you’re a business owner, you may also consider scanning some of the most important documents for your business: Articles of Incorporation
Partnership Agreements
Payroll and Financial Records
Insurance Policies
Customer/Client Lists
Now Where to Store Your Documents
Once you collect and scan your important personal documents, you have several options regarding where and how you keep them.
On a flash drive…
If you go this route, be sure to encrypt your files before copying them over. There are plenty of free encryption tools available you can download. Whichever program you choose, make sure to do one simple thing: remember your password!
Store encrypted files on cloud service…
There are plenty of consumer-friendly file storage systems that give you access to your files from virtually any computer or device. Some popular services include Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive, and Amazon Cloud Drive. On the upside, most of these services provide a basic level of storage (a few gigabytes—which is plenty of space for critical files) at no cost.
Store your files on an encrypted cloud service…
For maximum security for your important personal documents, you can choose cloud storage that is encrypted by default. Services like SpiderOak, Wuala, and Tresorit encrypt your files before storing them. This reduces the danger if the service is compromised, because the files are locked up good and tight before they’re even transferred over.
How To Store Video
One recommendation insurers often make is to create a video home inventory to document your belongings in case of theft or a disaster. This is a great idea. Using your smartphone or a video camera, create a comprehensive record of everything you have by moving from room to room, documenting and describing each valuable item for the camera.
Another Tip…
The problem is, what if you go through all this trouble and the video (or the camera, with the video still inside) gets stolen or destroyed? There’s an easy solution that most people don’t think of. Once you’ve created your video inventory, upload the video to YouTube but be sure to set the video as “Private.” This stores the video remotely and ensures that you (and only you) can access it if circumstances warrant. If you ever need to share the video with an insurance adjustor, you can set the video to “Unlisted” and simply email a link.