Emergency Binders for Unthinkable Events

While I have some links to Amazon in this post, I am not an affiliate and make no money from any links. I just add the links to help you visualize what I’m talking about.

The past few years have seen so many terrible natural disasters, including the recent hurricane in North Carolina and surrounding mountainous areas and, of course, the California fires. In light of these terrible events, I’ve edited and am reposting this older post about how to build an Emergency Binder that you can grab as you run out the door during a rushed evacuation.

Some disasters offer time to get things together, such as hurricanes where the storm can be followed for days before an evacuation is necessary. But other disasters, like a house fire or a tornado, offer no time whatsoever. You grab what’s next to you, including the people and pets you love, and get out. That’s why it’s a good idea (and the government agrees) that having a Home Emergency Binder and a Family Fireproof Safe aka the getaway fireproof safe is one of the best ways to rebuild your life when the unthinkable happens.

First, let’s discuss the binder. The Home Emergency Binder is a collection of COPIES of all of your family and household documents that you would need to rebuild your life. The U.S. government has a great site called Ready.gov which as a page devoted to building a Home Emergency Binder. While I highly recommend it, it’s also confusing and overly complicated and doesn’t list everything you may need. So below I’ve listed the types of things that you may want to include in your home binder. But I’ve also included a comprehensive list in the form of a free printable download to help you.

Download a Free Home Emergency Document ListDocuments included in a Home Emergency Binder

Household Identification:

Photo ID/Real ID/Passports (to prove identity of household members)Birth certificatesSocial Security cards (to apply for FEMA disaster assistance)Military service/veteran ID cardsPet ID tags, local licenses, & medical/vaccination records/microchip numbersMarriage/divorce/adoption/death certificatesNaturalization or Citizenship documentsTSA/Global Entry cardsCurrent photos of all family members & petsAddresses and phone numbers of family members you will want to contact

Financial and Legal Documentation:

Housing payments & mortgage documentationPower of AttorneyWillsLiving Wills/End of Life directivesTrust documentsHIPAA release forms, if necessarySources of income (to maintain payments and credit)Current IRS Tax statements (to provide contact information for financial and legal providers and to apply for FEMA disaster assistance)Medical RecordsHealth Insurance informationInclude physical addresses and toll-free phone numbers of all insurance institutionsInclude all account numbers and online passwords so you can access accountsImmunization recordsHome, Business, & Property/Car Insurance InformationInclude physical addresses and toll-free phone numbers of all insurance institutionsInclude all account numbers and online passwords so you can access accountsBanking & Financial InformationInclude physical addresses and toll-free phone numbers of all financial institutionsInclude account/PIN numbers and online passwords so you can access accountsKeep all credit card/debit card information as private as possibleInclude your online access to all three credit reporting agenciesTitles/leases/deeds to homes, cars, & other propertyInsurance agentsInclude physical addresses and toll-free phone numbers of all insurance institutionsInclude all account numbers and online passwords so you can access accountsLocation of Safety Deposit Box and keyBusiness documents, i.e. LLC formation docs, etc.

Other Documentation:

Physician information (in case medical care is needed)Include physical addresses and phone numbers of any other medical professionalsList of Medications with RX numbers/Refill informationAllergy information (for household members with specific allergy needs)Service providersInclude physical addresses and toll-free phone numbers of all your service providers including gas, electricity, water, trash, internet/cell phone, etc.Place of worshipInclude physical addresses and emergency phone numbers of your place of worship, if you have one.Household Property Inventory ListInclude photos, if possibleInclude any appraisals

A Home Emergency Binder doesn’t have to be complicated. I use an old three-ring binder and plastic page protectors, and both are available on Amazon, at Walmart or your local grocery store. Even Walgreens and CVS carry inexpensive brands. There’s also a good chance you have a binder lying around the house somewhere that can be reused. It does not have to be pretty! Putting together the binder is easy. Photocopy the documents you need, slip them into the page protectors, and add them to the binder. As I add things to my binder, I also scan the documents and store them in a secure cloud (or as secure as clouds can be) and an external hard drive/USB drive.

After I finish the binder, which I update every quarter, I store the originals in my Family Fireproof Safe. In this safe, I also put the external hard drive/USB drive, some emergency cash, my safety deposit key, and anything else I have of value like jewelry or coins, etc. I also include photos of valuables that I may not be able to take with me. At the beginning of each year, I take photos and videos of different rooms in my home. I store the digital copies online and then place the USB drive and physical photos in the safe. This way, if I lose everything, I have proof of my losses. (I even hate talking about that!). It’s also a good idea to keep any extra medication you absolutely need in this safe.

Where you store the binder and safe is up to you, but I recommend you keep them both together near an exit so you can grab them quickly if you have to evacuate. While putting all of this together isn’t hard, it is time consuming. But if it’s time consuming during an optimal time, imagine how hard it would be during an emergency. There’s no doubt, in my case, that if I didn’t keep up with my binder and had to evacuate I would not be ready. And that would make rebuilding our lives so much harder… and even more time consuming. One thing I like to do is get my family to help me. I put on a favorite movie and we photocopy, scan, and compile/update the binder together. Then, when it’s done, I order my family’s favorite take-out dinner as a treat!

While talking about disasters is never fun, it’s so much better to be prepared on the other side of an emergency. And I promise, if the worst happens, you will thank yourself for taking the time now to get prepared.

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