As the season of fires, hurricanes and tornadoes unfolds, everyone is aware of the need for preparation. In an emergency, taking care of important documents is not on your mind. Unfortunately, after the immediate danger is over finding necessary and important documents is time-consuming. Here are some tips that may help:
Before the Disaster
Inventory Your Home Valuables – take photos of the more expensive items in your home and store them in a safe deposit box, or online with a data storage website. You may also wish to hire a professional inventory service to handle the process of cataloging your possessions.
Create a Financial Account Log – collect all of your credit card, savings account, checking account, and retirement account information, including account numbers and institutions and store them in a fire box, or safe deposit box away from your home. You should also include passports, birth certificates, and current photos.
Cash on Hand – store a small amount of cash in a fire box. You should have enough to provide food and shelter for several days.
Store information in multiple locations and in multiple formats. Duplication is important to ensure that you can access necessary information regardless of the situation you find yourself in.
After the Disaster
If you don’t get a chance to prepare for disaster, there are some steps you can take to mitigate damages:
Getting Identification – the Bureau of Motor Vehicles can provide you with a copy of your driver’s license, since most offices keep your signature and photo on file. You’ll get the best result if you visit the office.
Your Social Security Card - Since Social Security is a national program, you should be able to visit any office and request a replacement card. Adults (12 and older) will need certain documents and so will children. Photocopies or notarized copies are not acceptable. For a detailed list of what you will need, please visit the Social Security Card Replacement page.
Birth, Marriage and Divorce Records – You can generally find these documents at Vital Records. You may have difficulty locating this office, since some states maintain these records in a centralized location, while others organize them in county offices.
Things to Do if You Have a Disability
Create a Support Network – Tell trusted individuals where you keep your extra medicines and supplies specific to your disability. Give a trusted member of your network a set of spare keys.
Contact County EMA – Contact the Emergency Management Agency in your county to let them know that you have a disability. Many EMA offices maintain list of individuals in the area with disabilities to locate them easily in a disaster.
Wear Medical Alert ID – Wear tags or bracelets that identify you and your disability, in case you can’t provide the information.
Know Needed Facility Locations – If you depend on dialysis or other treatments, make sure you know the location and availability of more than one treatment facility in your area.
Show Others How to Operate Necessary Equipment – Teach others how to operate oxygen equipment, wheelchairs, scooters and other devices before the disaster. Know the type of equipment you use and what’s compatible with it, in case it must be transported.
Web Resources
ILRU Disaster Management and Preparedness – resources for independent living centers
Ohio Disaster Preparedness and Response – health response network
Ohio Emergency Management Agency – Administers disaster assistance programs for individual victims and for governmental entities
Ready.gov – national resource for preparing for disasters
Ready for Anything - resources to assist people with disabilities in disasters
