Vital Records

With all the destruction that occured during Hurricane Sandy imagine trying to find your insurance information among all the debris.  Imagine now that you have made copies of all of your important papers and had them laminated and sent off to a trusted friend or family member.  Barbara Salsbury recommends you seal this information in a large envelope, tape it closed, and mail it to someone you trust.  If the tape is ever torn, you know someone opened it but at least you will have this information available in a stressful time.  This way you will have all of your information in one location, safe from a flood, tornado, or earthquake. 

I also suggest that you keep your birth certificates, SS cards, insurance info, marriage license, etc. all together in one location, or even in a fire safe box within your home.  I try to make copies of all our photos onto cds and flash drives, and I keep them in our important information box.  Everyone in my family knows where this box is and to grab it if we had to evacuate.

Don't forget to include:

• birth certificates
• SS cards
• immunization records 
• marriage license
• home and auto insurance information
• wills or other testaments
• investment information
• bank accounts
• credit card information
• life insurance 
• medical information, list of family doctors
• list of medications  
• anything else you wouldn't be able to reproduce or prove you own without documentation