Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Do One Thing: Week 9

Week 9: PERSONAL ITEMS:

The majority of families displaced by Katrina are still waiting to go home because they were not prepared with personal papers and information, they depended on FEMA and the government, they waited too long, they didn't save for an emergency and other situations that we all tend to do. Now is the time to prepare. Do not depend on the government to rebuild your life after an event.

Copies of all important papers

Download info to a zip drive, including i.d. cards, deeds, trusts, wills, etc., all your personal credit card numbers and the numbers for who to call if lost or stolen, social security numbers, pension fund, safe deposit box info., bank account numbers, all types of insurance papers, birth certs. passports, photos of the family, phone numbers, cd/dvd. of genealogy, and passwords to accounts, etc. Do you know your families cell numbers without your cell? If your battery wanes will you be able to call numbers by memory? Copy everything that identifies you and your property, your future, your finances, your claims, etc. Get it all on a zip drive. Carry that with you or have it stored near you bed or in you kit so you can grab it at a moments notice.

You will also want cash in coin and bills (if the electricity is out- chances are so will the atm machines). Think of how your city will run without credit or atm, how will it run on a cash only basis for two weeks? You need a stash of cash.

a cd player with batteries or tape player. (a few years ago I video taped each room in the house, garage, and shed for insurance purposes. I opened closets, drawers and doors, to expose exactly what would need to be replaced in case of fire etc. I put that on a dvd and keep it with the kit. (understand that insurance companies will want receipts- do you keep yours? They cannot tell the difference between faux pearls and real without a receipt. Also they are prepared to fight your for the replacement costs, not new mind you, how much can your replace your t.v. for if it was four years old? E-bay cost against new. Also, remember that in a city-wide event there will be literally hundreds of families vying for those insurance funds, and they won't come easily.)

Keep your laptop/cell phone charged and ready to go every night if you have to run out without notice.

walkie talkies, battery operated radios, ham radio if you are licensed.

If you need them, FEMA and/or the Red Cross will need info from you as well. Remember if you want help from these agencies you need to apply for it the day of the incident. Do not wait three or four days, you need to request help that day! Make sure to contact the correct people, look for badges and their i.d., don't give personal info to just anyone. Check the FEMA site for more detailed info.

Again, make sure all your personal information is where you can easily grab it, not tucked in a far closet. Think the house is on fire and you are out side, where can you grab it quickly from? Can you store this info on your personal key chain?

add to sk*rt

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Much of this info can be kept in the nebulous storage area of the internet. The benefit is that in a major event your info is "generally" safe, and aside from any problems arising from lack of electricity or a computer, easily accessible from anywhere in the world.

Many sites allow you to post everything from videos to simple lists. (A good example of a site like this is: www.backpackit.com. They offer a limited free plan and more advanced pay plans.)

Simply e-mailing the files to yourself is also an efficient means, just make sure that you use widely available file formats (PDF, JPEG, etc.).

Rynell said...

Again -- such important things! Thank you. I'm thinking that making a compilation of these items and storing them on a DVD or actually several DVDs in different safe locations may be a good idea.

S'mee said...

Adan, great ideas! I had no idea, but it kind of makes sense! Oh and if you want, Thor and I will "store" your credit card accounts if you want us to. : o

Rynell, I wish I could take credit (ha! small pun there) for these ideas, nope, I just steal them from great places! I actually like the idea of password locking a dvd and sending it to someone you trust who lives out of state or otherwise. Great idea!

Robyn said...

hehehe. I am not sure you'd want their cc info! Remember they're starving students.

Good ideas all around. I am still enjoying this series s'mee.

S'mee said...

Thanks for the heads up Sis!

Anonymous said...

One thing, I'm not really a student anymore, but still starving. :-)

S'mee said...

heheheh ; >