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24 Things to Add to Your Family Emergency Binder (PDF Checklist)
If you’ve ever lived through a major disaster, a sudden death in the family, or some other calamity that completely upended your life and the lives of your loved ones, I know you’re familiar with that sensation of panic and total disarray that follows in its wake.
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Aside from grief and fear, the logistics of life tend to fall apart in such times… If someone is incapacitated or, worse, dies, responsibilities don’t stop with them.
The bills don’t stop just because a tornado blew away your house. Utilities still have to be paid when someone is in the ICU. Just because you own something, that doesn’t mean your family members automatically own it or have access to it when you die.
I know it seems brutally mechanical, but all of these factors and more are why having a family emergency binder is so critical.
It’s a singular resource that will allow anyone in the family, or anyone else that you trust, access to the information and resources they need to take care of business once the dust has settled. It can be grim, even upsetting, to go through this planning process, but it’s critical for all preppers.
To help ease this burden, I’ll be taking you through some mandatory inclusions for your family’s emergency binder below.
A Quick Word on Binder Setup
Really quick before we get to the list of inclusions, I want to talk for just a moment about setting up the binder itself…
For many of us, this is to be taken literally, being an actual binder or book of hard copy info that’s either printed out or written down. After all, paper has a way of remembering what electronics can “forget” if they are knocked offline or accounts get frozen or erased!
That being said, you can make a very good case for also keeping a redundant electronic copy of the binder’s contents with it in the form of a flash drive. This will cover absolutely all eventualities.
But, and I hope this will be obvious, it is utterly critical that you protect your family emergency binder or flash drive from being compromised!
It is the literal mother lode for identity thieves or other people who would misappropriate your personal info. It’s going to contain everything about you and your family. And I do mean everything! All of your important records, passwords, and so forth will be in there.
Make sure you make a provision for protecting it as much as you would any other sensitive or precious resource.
The Basics – Emergency Contact Addresses, Phone Numbers, Emails, Etc.
Don’t overlook the basics. There are all kinds of situations where you or one of your loved ones might need to get in touch with folks outside of your immediate family.
This could be close or distant relations, trusted family friends, or even professional contacts that can be relied upon in a time of crisis.
It’s easy to give in to the temptation to let our phones and other electronic devices remember all of this stuff, but keep in mind that won’t help your family members. They might not know who your lifelong but distant best friend is, the one that you can rely on if something happens to you.
Write all of this stuff down, for all the members of the family, along with multiple methods for how to contact them.
Also be sure to write down the relationship such as it is so that any family members reaching out on your behalf won’t have to struggle for the right words or fumble their way through an introduction.
If you have any special instructions or reminders for a given party, make sure you include that info too.
Family “Bios” (Identifying Characteristics)
Another basic and seemingly boring element of the emergency binder is nonetheless crucially important. Keep a handy list of all of the basic identifying characteristics of each family member.
I’m talking about things like height, weight, hair color and pattern, eye color, complexion, birthmarks, tattoos, scars, and the like.
When the pressure is really on, even our closest friends and family have a way of forgetting these seemingly “unforgettable” details, and in the worst extreme, it might help rescuers or searchers identify someone who’s unconscious or already dead, even if their body is in very bad shape.
Photographs of Yourself and Family Members (Keep them current!)
This dovetails with the previous item on our list and is crucial in the case of missing or separated persons.
Current, clear, high-resolution photographs of each family member from the front and side profile should be included in the binder either in triplicate or in an easily scanable and reproducible format.
This way, if you have to hand them off or pass them on to people, that will be easy to do without giving away what might be your only good photograph of them.
Treat this like a driver’s license or passport photo, meaning no headwear, no goofy expressions, no sunglasses, or concealing garments.
Driver’s Licenses / ID’s / Passports
Speaking of IDs, copies of all drivers’ licenses, officially issued IDs, passports, and secondary or tertiary forms of identification like concealed weapons permits, workplace IDs, or school IDs should be included and clear.
End-of-Life Instructions or Will
Nobody wants to think about this, much less actually go through the process of writing everything down for use in absentia, but it must be done, and it will be a comfort should that dark day ever happen to you or happen because of you.
Let your family members or other people dealing with your affairs know what your end-of-life instructions are. How you want your remains to be handled or disposed of, who you want invited to services, if any, and following instructions for dispensing with your estate and possessions if applicable.
This is also a good place to leave any personal messages or letters for your survivors, or to direct them to any person or place that might be holding those messages on your behalf.
Birth Certificates
Birth certificates are critically important for proving that your kids are actually your kids and, furthermore, that you are who you say you are for all sorts of government processes and issuance of IDs and other documents.
You have two options here…
Keep your actual birth certificates and those of your children in the binder,
or keep copies of them and then leave the originals in another safe and secure location, whatever that might be.
If you go with the latter, leave detailed instructions for people accessing the binder on how to find and gain access to the originals, because those are often needed.
Social Security Numbers
Just like birth certificates, your social security number is closely tied to your identity as a citizen in the United States. Numbers for each family member should be included and easy to find in the binder, and you can consider including the social security cards themselves if you wish.
If you’re keeping them stored in a separate location, as before, leave detailed instructions for locating and accessing them.
Financial Accounts
This is another big one.
Bank account info, including the banking institution, institution address and phone number, account number, routing number, and contact information for the president of the bank or other designated account representative must be included in the binder for all relevant accounts, to include checking and savings accounts.
This is also a good place to include info for the location, quantity, and disposition of other financial resources like commodities, precious metals, gems, and so forth.
Make sure to leave information about other trustworthy contacts for family members to either access or sell these resources as appropriate if needed.
Family Lawyer Office and Description of Important Docs
If you have a family lawyer, or employ a personal lawyer, include their office and, if relevant, personal contact info here.
If they will be handling any issuance of things like medical power of attorney, succession, and so forth include a list of required documents that your family members or other designees will need based on your discussions with counsel.
Vehicle Titles
Another obvious inclusion but one that is often forgotten. Titles to all vehicles, and that includes things like boats, RVs, and the like, should be clearly copied if they aren’t directly included in the contents of the binder.
School / College Diplomas and Transcripts
Diplomas, transcripts, and other official documentation from all institutions of higher learning for each member of the family.
If you have young kids that are only in elementary or middle school, or kids that haven’t graduated high school, include enrollment info and any existing transcripts to prove attendance and current grade level.
Also include contact info, including phone and email, for the schools and any points of contact on the staff.
Military Records / DD-214
If you or a loved one served in the military, keep copies of all relevant documents on hand. Once discharged or service ends for any other reason, keep copies of the DD-214 and related paperwork in the binder.
This is especially critical for the family members of veterans who might be entitled to various VA benefits for a disabled, crippled, or incapacitated family member who is yet living, or access to services that the family might be entitled to themselves.
These documents tend to be voluminous and somewhat difficult to decipher for folks who weren’t in the military, so make sure to include step-by-step instructions and, if available, the contact info of a trusted friend or advocate who can walk them through the process.
Property Deeds
The last thing you want to worry about in the aftermath of a major disaster is proving what pile of rubble is actually yours. You’ll need your property deeds to do that…
For your home, certainly, but also for any business property, single or multifamily residences in your investment portfolio, vacant land, or any other real estate.
Like all the other critically important documents discussed previously, there are two ways to go about this: including the docs themselves or including high-quality copies. If kept separately from the binder, include instead the details for finding and accessing the originals.
Prescription Meds and Known Drug / Food Allergies
If you or any family members take prescription medications, even on an intermittent basis, include the type, dosage, and schedule.
It’s also worth including recent prescription medications that were taken since it might be important info in the middle of a crisis to prevent bad reactions during treatment if necessary.
And on the subject of bad reactions, make sure to include highly visible and detailed information for first responders, relatives, and friends concerning all known drug and food allergies that you or your loved ones suffer from.
This won’t necessarily be useful for your family members who already know you well, but they could need to pass it on to first responders or other medical personnel. If you’re incapacitated and can’t speak for yourself, there will be no time for guessing in that regard!
Vaccine Records
Make sure you have detailed and verified vaccine records for each member of the family. Jotting down a list of these will not suffice if we enter another pandemic type of situation.
Important Medical Records and Info
All important medical records covering diseases, chronic ailments, vulnerabilities, operations, elective surgeries, and everything else you can think of are smart inclusions for your emergency binder.
Also include info for things like implants, be they cosmetic, joint, pain relief, diabetic-related, or otherwise.
I also strongly recommend you include information covering the nature of any metal components or objects that might be embedded in the body. This is especially critical if someone is slated to get an MRI, and if mistakes get made prior, the results can be absolutely disastrous.
Medical Provider Contact Info
Beyond the typical medical information outlined above, also include your preferred hospital, family doctor, rehab specialist, or any other care providers along with their phone numbers, contact information, and current institution.
Make sure this information is easy to find and reference, because it can be critical in such a wide array of circumstances.
You might need to get in touch with a doctor or surgeon who has worked with a loved one before, or if you are traveling or forced to deal with a distant provider, they might have questions for your usual doc. Speeding up this line of contact can save valuable time in all kinds of situations.
Workplace Contact Info
Although not always necessary, it can help to have workplace contact info for all members of your family. Those that are working anyway!
Be sure to include the names of supervisors and assistant supervisors so they can be informed of any status changes regarding health or other mishaps that might have befallen their employee.
Pet Info
Don’t forget about your pets! As with all of your other family members, include current photographs from the front, side, and top if applicable, identifying marks, description of collar or harness, tags, vaccination status, and also the contact info of your pet’s vet.
Insurance Policies, Coverage, and Agent Contact
This is a biggie if you’re dealing with any sort of disaster, from tornadoes and hurricanes to flooding, wildfires, rioting, and more. It is also likely to be one of the largest inclusions in your entire binder.
Include all relevant insurance policies: home, auto, health, life, renters, etc. Don’t forget to include a detailed list of all covered valuables and possessions, or vehicles, and contact info for the company and your agent or account representative.
No one wants to do it, but you’d be very wise to include photographs of your covered possessions and include a detailed database of serial numbers, VIN numbers, and other critical information for identification and adjustment purposes.
This is a major assignment for some of us, but believe me, it is a cold comfort if you ever need it!
Important Logins and Passwords
So much of our lives are tied up online, and so many of us are online so often, it is all but impossible to imagine not being able to access our online lives instantly…
But that’s exactly what can happen if you lose your primary devices, or if someone you love becomes incapacitated, dies, or is just suffering from memory loss you might be completely locked out of email, social media accounts, banking websites, apps, and a whole lot more.
It’s another laborious task to write all of these logins and accompanying passwords down, but this is one of the best hedges against becoming digitally un-personed.
If that’s just too much to do, you can sign up for an online password management system like LastPass, or rely on your Google or Apple password manager.
Writing down the login info for the master email might suffice for giving others access to everything as long as they can still access your devices or a linked browser.
But remember: stored in the cloud just means stored on some other computer, and that access can be similarly destroyed, blocked, or taken away at any time.
Home and Business Security System Codes
Camera systems, security systems, sensor grids, and the Wi-Fi or other network infrastructure that runs it all should likewise be included in your emergency planning binder.
If something happens to you or another relative and you have to access their home, business, or other protected location you definitely don’t want to be setting off alarms and such and getting the cops called on you.
You might have a key, you might have explicit permission under the circumstances, but that won’t prevent a bad outcome like this!
Safe and Lockbox Combos
From gun safes and vaults to lockboxes and safe deposit boxes, there are plenty of mechanical locks out there that you likely rely on.
Writing down the combinations to all of them along with the other critical documents we’ve talked about here will give family members, friends, and executors easy access to these protected containers or rooms.
Also, be sure to include detailed and easy-to-follow instructions for things like combination locks. It might seem intuitive to you, but you’d be surprised at how few people actually have experience operating them.
Similarly, if you have any keyed locks with hidden keys, or keys stored anywhere else, leave instructions here and, if possible, a picture of the key. It can save a lot of grief, particularly if you carry around a huge and jangly key ring like I do.
Utility Provider Account Info
Last but not least, include a list of all of your utility provider information, including the account info, associated emails, passwords, phone numbers, and the like. I know that in most families, like mine, one person is responsible for the logistics of paying the bills regardless of who makes all the money. If something happens to that person, it’s easy to forget that these things must be paid for at all.
Then you’re dealing with something embarrassing and problematic like electricity, water, or gas getting shut off.
Get The PDF Checklist
To help you keep track of everything while putting your binder together, here’s a quick PDF checklist of everything.
The post 24 Things to Add to Your Family Emergency Binder (PDF Checklist) appeared first on Survival Sullivan.
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