There are several excellent online resources to help you plan for emergencies like power outages, floods, train derailments, etc. Websites sponsored by the Federal and Provincial governments detail the types of emergencies you should prepare for and suggestions for readiness. The focus of these sites is, of course, on personal protection. Family, friends, pets, and your lovable self, are all the priority in any emergency event. At some point, though, you will need to put your life back together. Shelter, clothing, food, and water will help keep you going. Your records are invaluable for moving beyond survival to regaining control of your life. As much as is safely possible, include consideration for your documents in any evacuation plan.
How do you prepare your personal records for emergency situations? Organization and proper storage of your records is key to moving past the emergency into a rebuilding process. Organizing personal records can seem like a daunting task. Remember that very step is an improvement. It is better to have a so-so system in place than a perfect system in your head. The following is a suggested list of steps to help you prepare your records for an emergency.
Gather
Gather all your important documents into one contained place. It could be a closet, a kitchen drawer, or a pile on top of the fridge. None of these are ideal without further preparation, but at least you will not have to run around the house looking for them in the event of an emergency.
Storage
Store everything in an enclosed, water-resistant and/or fire-resistant container. This will make it much easier to transport your records, whether to another location in your home or to a safe place outside the home.
Define Vital
Identification documents and documents that prove insurance plans and ownership of large items are important for everyone. Most of our other records are memory records – photographs, certificates, awards, etc. Which of these memory records are vital to you? Which of your memory records will help you rebuild beyond immediate needs for food, shelter, and safety? If you are like most people, you could probably fit these kinds of records in multiple plastic tubs. The chances of carrying all those out in an emergency are pretty small. To ensure you make the best decisions under stressed circumstances, decide now which of your memory records are vital to you.
Basic Organization
Medical papers, identification papers, insurance, home and household ownership, personal papers. This is also a good time to weed through your documents to make sure you are only keeping what you need. If you do experience an emergency, it will lighten your carry load and reduce anxiety because you have only what you need.
Make Copies
Arguably, you could do this at any time in the process. Recognizing that you cannot do it all at once, waiting until you have done your basic organization also allows you to make copies in the order of their importance. You can add copies of additional items as time and money permits. Make physical and digital copies of your most valuable items.
Housing Records
For physical items, archival quality plastic sleeves, acid free folders, and archival storage boxes keep your records safe from daily dangers such as moisture and pests, and can help prevent or mitigate damage in the event of an emergency. Label everything as best you can. This is especially important for memory records. You think you will never forget the people in the photographs or the date of your parents’ wedding, but you will. Further, while you may recognize the importance of your memory records, future generations may not. If you leave an organized set of records, they are more likely to be preserved because they will seem more manageable than a pile of stuff jammed into a box.
Offsite Storage
For physical records, house copies in the same quality storage containers as the original documents. They may become the only documents you have. Suitable offsite locations for physical copies include secure space at your office, with family and friends, or the family cottage. You may not be able to store much outside of your vital documents and a few precious memory documents, but having access at multiple points increases your chances of document recovery and reduces the risk of total loss. For digital records, there are a number of cloud-based resources, including digital scrapbooking that you can use. And never forget your trusty USB and external drives, small items you can keep in your purse, pocket, or a lanyard around your neck.
Share Copies
Make gifting special items like scrapbooks and photographs and special, historical family documents, part of your records emergency plan. If you lose your originals, there is a copy somewhere. Regularly sharing, whether with physical or digital copies, ensures that even if all seems lost, not all is lost.
All of this, of course, supposes a major event affecting large segments of a community. But what about those personal catastrophes that leave us stunned, like a job loss, a house fire, a sudden debilitating illness, or a death in the family? Organized records can help in these events as well:
- A file with records documenting all your training, accomplishments, and contacts can help you put a resume together.
- Storing copies of your important household documents offsite means you have access to your mortgage/rental agreements, insurance papers, and proof of household items to help you access assistance after a fire.
- An organized medical file, complete with recent appointments and family medical histories, may just help with the treatment and recovery process.
- If the worst happens, insurance documents, wills, end of life instructions, and even photograph collections can aid with funeral planning, celebration of life ceremonies, and helping families get back on their feet.
Having organized records will not fix any of these problems. However, knowing where your records are and what they are, may help alleviate some of the pain and anxiety dealing with emergency situation. They also might prevent a short-term emergency from becoming a disaster.
This article first appeared in the March 2019 issue of Telling Our Stories.