University of FloridaSolutions for Your Life

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Publication #FAR9009

Disaster Planning: Important Papers1

Donna Davis2

As we were made keenly aware this fall, disasters are a part of life. While in Florida, we were dealing with hurricanes, throughout the country people face disaster, whether hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, fire, or a terrorist attack. Floridians became familiar with the hurricane preparedness strategies, including taking care of their property and how to handle life without electricity for prolonged periods. What many people didn't realize is that financial preparation is another key to survival and to cleaning up after the event.

To start, it's important to know where your family records and valuable documents are and be able to pick them up and take them with you, if you must evacuate. Purchase a packet, folder, briefcase or other carrying case for these important documents. These documents include birth, adoption, marriage, and death certificates, as well as passports, deeds, leases, insurance policies, Social Security records, contracts, wills, trusts, and ownership papers.

If you have access to a scanner, you may want to scan your papers and documents to a computer disk and keep it in the carrying case. Leave the original in a separate storage place. You may also want to videotape the contents of your home to supplement your household inventory. If you use a software package to keep track of your finances, you may want to keep a back-up copy with your "on the go" papers. These quick steps can save valuable time when picking up the pieces of an unexpected disaster.

Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our Web site at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.

To listen to the radio broadcast:

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/disasterplan.mp3

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/disasterplan.wav

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR9009, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. First published December 2007. In the interest of time or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Donna Davis, Senior Producer, Family Album Radio, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Reviewed by Jo Turner, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.