Emergency Binder

Your binder should contain all your important information, valuable documents, and anything else you might need in the event you aren’t able to return home right away.

Decide What You Need
Start by gathering all the essentials you’ll want inside your emergency binder.

Cash—Cash always comes in handy when credit cards aren’t accepted, or if ATMs aren’t working or are depleted of cash.

Documents—Birth certificates, marriage certificates, Social Security cards, car titles and other important documents.

Medication—Keep a list of existing medication, prescriptions and an emergency supply of other health needs for you and the whole family in your binder.

Photos—Keep current photos of each family member in your binder. You might also think about placing a photo of each room in your home and cupboards/closets to document your belongings for insurance and to make claims in case of fire or loss of your home.

Computer files—Save a backup of important documents or personal digital memories from your computer onto a CD or DVD for safekeeping.

Contacts—Have your important contacts printed and included in your binder. Include doctors, pharmacy, school, work and other numbers important to your work and family.

Put Together Your Binder and Keep It Updated

Consider choosing a binder that’s brightly colored, so it’s easy to spot when you need to grab it quickly. It also needs to be portable, so keep the size of your binder in mind. Once you’ve put together your family’s emergency binder, periodically review the contents and make sure the information inside is current. As a final precaution, keep your binder sealed inside a water-tight, Ziploc® plastic bag to protect it from the elements.

The above information was taken from avery.com.

You can read about the pictured emergency binder at www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/01/emergency-preparedness-week-4-emergency-binder-cash-stash.html.