Organize Your Files for Hurricane Season
Hurricane Season is officially here and it’s set to be a very active one for us here in the Coastal Bend. Peak hurricane season comes around September, but it’s never too early to be prepared for a weather emergency. To get started with preparations, take a household inventory and organize important documents and information.
Make a list and take pictures or videos of the things you own. Save these files to your device but also print out copies just in case you lose online access – this will help with insurance claims you might need to file.
Gather important documents and information like social security cards, insurance cards, and a list of prescriptions. Include copies of deeds, wills, birth certificates, marriage certificates, military records, and employee benefits documents. Keep all original documents in a secure location but create physical and digital copies to take with you.
Make sure you have ownership records for your home, cars, RVs, and boats, including bank, loan, mortgage, and investment account numbers. Include digital backups of all of these.
Don’t forget your pets! Have their medical, prescription, and vaccination records along with current photos and ID chip numbers just in case you’re separated or a temporary shelter requires documentation.
If you don’t have one already, invest in a lockable, fireproof file box for important documents, cash, house and car keys and safe deposit box keys. This is important whether you shelter-in-place or evacuate and need to safely transport important valuables.
Take advantage of technology! Store documents in the most secure personal cloud storage, virtual safe deposit box, or an encrypted, fingerprint, or password protected USB drive. Make sure to use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication when available.
Once you have everything gathered, double-check that all the information on your records are up-to-date and correct.
Visit recovery.texas.gov/preparedness for a Disaster Evacuation Checklist and other helpful resources.
Stay ready and stay safe, South Texas!