Why You Need a Family Emergency Binder
Do you have all of your vital files in a convenient area that you can get in an emergency?
If you needed to dash now, would you have the information and documents you would need to rebuild your life? Most people do not. That absence of planning can make a bad situation even worse for you and your family. If you want to make sure your family is ready for anything, you need to create a Family Emergency Binder.
What Is a Family Emergency Binder?
A Family Emergency Binder is geared particularly to managing your family in the case of an emergency. In the event of a quick evacuation for something like a hurricane, flooding, fire, tornado, or earthquake, you need to have something that is very easy to grab and go that has all of your family's vital information adn documents.
It does not need to be an intricate four binder system with all of your life's history in it, but just keeping a couple of pieces of paper in an emergency backpack or hidden in a drawer someplace may not be enough if you have to leave in panic.
What Do I Need to Include in my Family Emergency Binder?
Emergency contacts/numbers (friends, family, work, school)
Financial information (bank, credit, investment accounts)
Copies of vital documents (Driver's Licenses, Passports, Birth Certificates, Social Security Cards)
Medical, Prescription, and Health Insurance
Legal Documents (Healthcare Directives, Power(s) of Attorney, Wills, Death Certificates, etc)
Insurance (cards, policies, local agent contact information)
Other items
Crucial websites and passwords
Emergency Evacuation Plan (Where to go, Who to call, What to do)
Keys to your vehicles, home and storage space rooms
Maps
Pictures (digitally stored on thumb drive)
Cash
What Materials Do I Need to Create an Emergency Binder?
Your binder can be as unique as you are. You can decorate it up, keep it straightforward, utilize something other than a binder, or maintain all of it on a cloud server or thumb drive. Here are some fundamental materials you might need for your very own emergency binder. Begin with what we have listed then make whatever changes or additions you need to make it your own.
Binder (typical 3-ring binder)
Index Sheets- to separate each section so you can find what you need rapidly.
Page Protectors
Water-proof Pouch (or 2-gallon ziptop bag that you can fit binder into)
Fireproof safe or lockbox- for additional security, just make sure it's small and lightweight enough to grab and go.
Laminator or Vacuum Sealer- If you are using a laminator we recommend only using it on copies of your documents and not on originals as any kind of alteration might make them invalid. However, if you are using a vacuum sealer you can use it on original documents as vacuum sealing doesn't alter the document forever. Simply cut open the sealed pouch and pull out your document(s) when needed.
How do I Keep My Family Emergency Binder Private?
There is an inherent risk of creating a binder with all of your personal and financial information. It's important to keep your binder in a safe and secure location. We recommend in a fire-proof safe or lockbox.
While of us have been taught to keep all of our important documents in a bank safe deposit vault, it may not be easily accessible in a state of emergency. So you'll have to determine how best to handle these documents for yourself.
If you are concerned about privacy and security you may want to consider a digital alternative.
Cyber Emergency Binder: An alternative to a physical binder.
Not every localized emergency means that there will be no electricity, internet access, or access to printers, or computers. Your local emergency could just mean you need to leave your immediate area and go to another neighborhood or city, but just don't have access to things near your house.
If you are uncomfortable having a binder full of vital information in your house, especially if you can not keep it secure in your location because you are rooming with other people, consider doing a cyber emergency binder.
Even if you do keep a physical one, having one available in downloadable format may make its access easy if you lose your binder along the way and need to get to those important documents and have access to a computer.
You could also load that information onto a thumb drive that you can tuck into a pocket on the way out the door. You can store multiple thumb drives in different locations, just in case.
Again, it is vitally important for you to understand that uploading your documents onto a cloud on the web, even if you think it's a private place, does not mean that they will ultimately be safe from hackers and people looking for information. You have to make the decision as to whether or not to do it.
You can use places like Dropbox.com or a friend's server or even your own website. Just understand that nothing is completely safe and secure.
However, having your documents in more than one place allows you greater ability to get copies regardless of the emergency-- weigh your options.
What Else Can I Include in my Family Emergency Binder?
Once you have your vital Emergency Binder complete with the documents that are necessary for you to conduct business, gain access to your community, and begin to rebuild your life after an emergency, you can branch out.
Expand your Family Emergency Binder to include checklists for creating emergency bags for your family, food storage plans for feeding your family in case it is a stay-at-home emergency, and more.
This article is a service of CONNORS LAW, a Personal Family Lawyer® firm. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love.
That's why we offer a Family Wealth Planning Session,™ during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before, and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Family Wealth Planning Session and mention this article to find out how to get this $750 session at no charge.
