An emergency binder is a place to put all the important information you will need in the event of a disaster or emergency situation. It’s one thing to grab in the event you need to evacuate, there’s no need to dig.
All my important things are scattered in a file cabinet, I’m really not sure it’s fire proof. My brain is an interesting place, so sometimes I just think about where the title is for our car, or our marriage license. I usually don’t look for these things, I just tell myself they are in that cabinet. Also in that cabinet is random things I probably don’t have to hold on to like utility bills from a house I don’t live in, a letter of recommendation for scholarships from high school, and various tax things. The tax things are likely all I need. I
f you are thinking well Madison go organize your file cabinet, know I’m thinking that too. But I probably won’t be organizing it, it’s just not high on my priority list.
Rather than organizing the whole file cabinet like a good organized person, I’m working on pulling out the things I really will need in the event of an emergency. And then I will get a fireproof box for it to call home.
Organizing a family binder ensures all the essential documents are in a grab and go, easy to transport if needed, storage place. No more digging through high school transcripts. I only have one, so I guess it’s not much digging through those… nevertheless the binder is easier.
Why do you need a binder? Picture this- a tornado rips through my home and nothing is left standing but I grabbed my binder with insurance papers, kids socials, and banking information we are going to take a lot of stress off ourselves. My lovely little file cabinet is going to be in the wind, but the binder I hide in our safe place with us is going to be intact.
Where the binders home is is important. Choose a waterproof and fireproof container. Due to the sensitive material stored here, it should be put up. Let one of two people know it’s location and how to get in it in case something tragic were to happen to you.
There are premade binders. That is the easiest option, but if you want to create your own you can! I am constructing ours, though I may purchase one in the future.
Now let’s get to what include!
Emergency contacts and phone numbers
-Family, friends, and neighbors
-School contacts
-Employer and work related contacts
-Non-emergency lines for police, fire department, and hospital
-Doctors office number
-Veterinarian- yours and any emergency vets
Photo Copies or hard copies of Vital Records
-Your utility companies phone numbers and account numbers
-Drivers license (photo copy of front and back)
-Social security card (or numbers written out/copy of cards)
-Passport
-Birth certificates
-Credit cards (front and back)
-Any military records
-Adoption papers
-Foster records
-Immigration or Naturalization paperwork
-Death certificates of any family members recently deceased
Medical information
-Medical history
-Copies of everyone’s insurance cards (both sides)
-Allergies
-List of current medications
-Immunization records
Insurance Information
-Homeowners policy
-Auto policy
-Life Insurance information
-Agents phone number for all applicable policies
-Insurance cards (dental, medical, vision, etc)
-Home inventory
Financial Information
-All bank info for all accounts- account & routing numbers, photo copy of debit card, and voided check
-Credit card account number and login information
-Information for any investment accounts
-Most recent statement for any and all accounts
-Information for safety deposits
Legal documents
-Copy of any legal document including but not limited to POA, will, marriage license, house deed, vehicle titles, lease information, etc.
Other
-Spare keys
-Cash (optional but handy)
-Maps
-Evacuation plan if you have one
-USBs with photos
-Current photo of everyone in household (update yearly, use individual photos if possible)
No one wants emergencies to happen, but being prepared gives us all a jumpstart on repairing any damage the emergencies cause. Once you have gathered all your information store it in an accessible place in a binder or other organizer inside a waterproof, fireproof safe. Kickstart 2022 with emergency preparedness!
