Safe Deposit Boxes & Home Safes
Two ways to protect your records and other irreplaceable items from disaster are to store them in a safe deposit box at a bank or in a home safe.
Records to put in a bank safe deposit box include:
- Birth, death, adoption papers and marriage certificates
- Divorce and child custody papers
- Passports, military records and Social Security cards
- Copies of drivers' licenses
- Mortgage/property deeds, car titles
- Stock and bond certificates
- List of insurance policies (life, health, disability, etc.), including the type, company, policy number, and name of insured
- Copies of power of attorney, living will, and other medical power
- Trust documents
A home safe is a convenient place to store important papers, but could it withstand a fire, flood, or tornado? At the very least, buy a safe that can withstand temperatures up to 1,700 degrees. Keep the safe locked at all times, and tell someone you trust where you keep the key or combination to the safe.
I keep a lot of records at work. Is that OK?
What would happen if a disaster destroyed your office? Consider keeping copies of records at your office and storing originals of vital records, including back-up disks of important digital information, in a bank safe deposit box.
Other records to keep in your disaster supplies kit might include:
- Letter of instruction to your loved ones in case you are not there to help them through a disaster
- Federal and state tax returns (at least keep the three most recent ones in the kit)
- Copies of important medical information, including your health insurance card, doctor's name and phone number, immunization records, and prescriptions (including prescriptions for glasses and contacts)
- Home improvement records
- Inventory of your possessions
- Warranties and receipts for major purchases
- Appraisals of jewelry, collectibles, artwork, and other valuable items
- Credit card records
- Retirement account records
- Recent checking, savings, and investment account statements
- Rental agreement/lease and/or mortgage documents
- Recent pay stubs and employee benefits information
- List of emergency contacts, including doctors, financial advisers, and family members
- Backups of critical digital information, such as any accounting files
- Safe deposit box information (location, contents, and key)
- Store the box in a place that is easy to get to if you suddenly have to evacuate.
What else should go into a disaster supplies kit?
Set aside enough money for your family to get by for three days if you cannot get home, banks and ATMs are unavailable, power is out, etc. The money should be in the form of cash, traveler's checks, and a roll of quarters (to use in pay phones). Also store negatives of irreplaceable personal photographs, protected in plastic sleeves.