Insurance policies protect assets in the event of a disaster; however, we often overlook securing our valuable information. Securing information should be another aspect of your emergency preparedness plan.

 

Photos, videos, documents, important legal or insurance documents, and data files are commonly destroyed by natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and tornados. These items can also be stolen or lost due to a house fire or computer malfunction. These items should all be safeguarded from disaster.

Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container. You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) developed by Operation Hope, FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information.

 

As you develop your data backup plan, keep in mind the principle of backing up to a remote location. If a disaster threatens your digital information and if your original and backup files are stored in the same location, loss of both copies is possible.

 

Emergency and Disaster Planning  

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