As I watched the water from Harvey get within literally an inch of flooding our house Sunday, I realized I am not as prepared as I thought I was for damage or evacuation. The basics - water, food, battery operated lanterns and fans, extra power for cell phones, prescriptions refilled - were handled. The unprepared part was all the paperwork/documentation/business of life and the sentimental irreplaceable things like pictures and keepsakes. So, I’m asking the expert CC community for suggestions and info. Since this might apply to any disaster anywhere, I’m starting a new thread instead of putting it in the Harvey thread.
What documents need to go with us in an emergency besides the obvious, like id?
Can anyone suggest a password organizer that is more secure than my collection of paper scraps, preferably something that could be accessed from a borrowed or new computer?
Suggestions on best online storage and backup for our computer, so at least the data is accessible if our computers are lost or damaged.
Any suggestions on good ways to inventory possessions, store records of value, etc. for possible insurance claims?
Has anyone scanned a lot of pre-digital age photos? Did you do it yourself, or send them to a paid service? Where do you store the files?
What about storage for keepsakes, photos, etc? We have some Container Store boxes that say they are waterproof, with gaskets and tight latches, but I’m not sure I want to test that in the next Houston flood.
Is there anything unusual you lost and found difficult to replace?
Any suggestions and experiences are appreciated. I’ll also be joining the bag-a-week thread, I think. There’s a lot of stuff that needs to come out of my house while it’s dry, and not wait for a post-flood cleanup.
I once house sat for an awesome and wealthy family with a lot of extremely valuable things in their home. I was also caring for their then 3 year old. I asked them what they wanted me to grab in event we needed to leave due to say…a fire or other emergency.
They wisely said…just take our kid. Nothing else here is valuable, and everything else is replaceable. I’ve never forgotten that.
TBH important papers should be in a safety deposit box anyway.
I would grab my phone, passport, and purse (where my other ids are located)…and that would be it. And RX.
If I were preparing for an emergency here (like we did for the October snowstorm and Hurricane Sandy)…filed containers of fresh water. Gas for the generator. Food that didn’t need to be refrigerated. RX filled. We have solar and propane lanterns…and a bunch of LED flashlights.
If you have prescriptions, keep them together in a bag that can be grabbed asap. I keep all of mine in a backpack next to my bag as well as an updated list of my meds, conditions, etc.
If your meds need to be refrigerated, make sure to keep some of the ice packs that come with your meds in an easy to grab place in the freezer. Personally, I keep a small cooler on top of the freezer too so I can just toss and run.
Spectacularly good idea!! And with the prescriptions Romani recommended, I’d take whatever extra prescription medication I have (that someone is currently using) …you may end up not getting access to more for longer than you think.
Laptop computer, cell phone charger, copy of account numbers and passwords, will, birth and marriage certificates, shot and medical records. Insurance cards, company ID, some precious baby photos, backup credit cards.
Of course, that’s only if there’s time. Otherwise…family, animals, phone and wallet.
Also, @MOM2TX, it sounds like you’re not out of danger, so much more rain coming. Can you get this stuff together right away? And the good photos of your house, or maybe a video of each room, ready right now? I fear there is much more to come, and if you were only an inch away! I hope you can move things to a higher level.
I’m a big fan of taking pictures/using phone in general. I am sure that there is a phone app for passwords. Also you can take pics of rx, insurance cards, etc as well…doesn’t hurt to have a dup in the cloud.
Granted it wasn’t like Harvey, but last weekend we had torrential storms and we had 3 feet of water in our basement. So I get the panic of worrying about losing everything. Luckily we store most of our stuff in plastic containers. We lost some Christmas ornaments. Maybe it sounds petty, my Christmas tree has been my adult life “hobby”. It started when my mom took me shopping for ornaments when I got engaged, every time we go somewhere I buy ornaments, people have bought some for me they knew represented something meaningful to me, and of course the ones the kids made. Those ornaments are a lifetime of memories for me. I love decorating the tree every year and remembering everything. Obviously people come first, but if you have a moment now, think about what would really bother you? It’s not anything material, that can be replaced. Think of homemade things, things from previous generations, pictures, letters, etc.
Take pictures of everything, scan them and put them on the cloud somewhere that you can retrieve elsewhere. I can’t imagine how difficult dealing with my 3 cats would be in an evacuation. Yes, I could stick them in their cat carriers, but they aren’t used to being in them and they would all freak out.
immunization records! I was a teacher in Dade county during Andrew. My pre-schoolers in Perrine, lost their homes, their school and their doctor’s offices and had to be re-vaccinated because they had no proof that they were current on their vaccinations.
Password managers: I use LastPass and now that it’s set up I wonder what took me so long. Here is a review on *Wirecutter/i NOTE: I have worked in tech for years and am embarrassed it took me this long to finally get something in place.
Keep the gas tank full. Keep cash around. Our emergency is likely to be an earthquake which could cut off electricity. No power means gas pumps and ATMS won’t work.
Beyond that I have photos all boxed and ready to pack.
@BunsenBurner my photos update once a day and there’s an easy update button you can press to do it instantly. Good note! Might be something people should make sure they have on their phones anyway.
I wonder if it would be wise to just always have a “maternity bag” type thing packed. A few changes of clothes, list of meds, maybe an extra pair of shoes, extra cords for your electronics if you have them, and so on.
We basically have a bag like this for each of us that we can grab if we have to run to the ER. It’s been helpful.
My daughter the worrier always had a Go Bag backpack in case of tornados. I would think two changes of clothes would be the minimum.
I would grab a tub and put in all the ID, passport, and birth certificate things that might not be at the bank at the time, the back up of the computer (includes many photos), people and dog meds, dog food. I could pull that together in less than 5 minutes.
If I had a few more minutes I would empty the trunk where I have my family treasures like my Grandmother’s dancing shoes, my dad’s cardigan, etc. I don’t have a lot of jewelry. My mom and my sister could replace many of the film family photos.
I would add one of those water purification bottles in case you’re stuck for a while and don’t have a reliable water source. You can run out of water very quickly.
Plastic tubs with lids will help protect things but if the water gets deep enough, they float, flip over, and water seeps under the lid.
A password manager sounds great but you should be able to get into an account with email verification and a social security number. Memorize all your vital social security numbers.
Purchase waterproof bags from a sporting goods store for papers, keys, phones, etc. We keep a couple of large rubbermaid storage container packed with OTH meds, personal hygiene items, waterproof bags, an old cell phone, solar chargers, batteries, britta container and filter, a tarp, rubber boots, ponchos, lanterns, small tool kit, duct tape, mosquito repellant, suntan lotion, hats, rope, extra set of keys, phone book, copies of charge cards, important papers, dish detergent, plastic dishes as well as paper plates, 2 quick dry towels, hand sanitizers, tissues, laundry pods, a pop up tent, camp stove, cans of tuna, soup, dried fruit, etc. We open and replace anything that is expired before the start of hurricane season every year. We had to evacuate a couple of times. Was always able to drive to a friends home or a hotel, but had everything ready just in case.
I’m guilty of not being prepared. In my area an evacuation would be due to fire which has occurred a couple of times in the 30 years I’ve lived here. The other emergency situation would be an earthquake. I’m pretty sure our house would be okay since we rebuilt with very strict earthquake safety codes. I go in phases where we have an earthquake box prepared but eventually things expire and we don’t replace them. My H is always reminding me and the kids to always have a full tank of gas. My kids generation rarely seem to have cash on hand. We always have plenty of dog food on hand. A camp stove and portable grill with plenty of propane bombs on hand.Flashlights and lanterns but I need to stock up again on batteries. It’s a great suggestion to have the portable battery chargers fully charged. I should have more water but we have two very large water heaters and a pool so I think we could survive for a little while with the water out. A concern in our area is that we really only have one main highway north and south and if the road is compromised we could eventually run out of gas and food in the area.
A funny story. When my youngest was in middle school we had to evacuate for fire. She had accumulated a collection of designer jeans and she was very concerned that the insurance company know what she had. She laid out all her pants and took pictures of the labels.
In my neck of the woods, a wind storm toppling trees is a typical disaster that strikes almost every year. We can lose power. A wildfire is less likely, and a large earthquake is much less statistically probable to hit. For my house to flood, it would take a flood of biblical proportions, so my preparedness is focused on “dryland disasters.”
We’re in the same boat as BB. I think that’s why there’s so much emphasis here on what to grab if the power’s out and you need to go somewhere.
I think the two things that people should universally prepare for are fires and power outages. Most everything else is dependent on where you live- and thus needs will likely be different. Here in MI, we’re just not going to get hit with a hurricane. But we know what to do and grab if there’s a tornado heading our way.
It’s also a good idea to keep basic things in your car. I have a first aid kit, a few blankets, kitty litter (great for getting a car unstuck), and a charged external battery for my phone. In the winter, I’ll usually throw in some hand warmers or something, too.