In the event of an emergency- what to grab?

[gamecock43]

you know how all the experts tell you to have a box of all the important papers you are supposed to grab in the event of an emergency?

I'm cleaning up my house/decluttering in preparation to pack up and move and since I am going through all this paperwork, I might as well put together that "sacred box" that I will need to grab in the event of fire, flood or whatever.

So what goes in the box? This is what I have come up with so far...
Passports
Car title
Death Will (I need to get one of those)
Marriage license?
Bank account numbers??


Pictures of all personal belongings to provide for the insurance company...I still need to do that.

What else?

[jIM_Ohio]

wills
SS cards
power of attorney
health care power of attorney
passports
previous year's tax return (if online, skip this)
car title
house deed

[momof1in150]

My children
My laptop (I can restore life pretty fast if I have my laptop)
My firesafe (has all the above documents)

[jIM_Ohio]

Originally Posted by momof1in150

My children
My laptop (I can restore life pretty fast if I have my laptop)
My firesafe (has all the above documents)

good answer.
I noticed you did not suggest grabbing your spouse. Hopefully you have life insurance docs in the safe too.

I have all of above AND the life insurance docs in the safe.

[momof1in150]

Originally Posted by jIM_Ohio

good answer.
I noticed you did not suggest grabbing your spouse. Hopefully you have life insurance docs in the safe too.

I have all of above AND the life insurance docs in the safe.

I figured he was old enough to get out himself and the life insurance docs are in the safe and on the laptop so either way I would be safe.

[snafu]

A train derailment in our community caused immediate evacuation due to toxic fumes. We learned a lot from that experience.

ICE - In Case of Emergency is a D ring binder & page protectors which serve double duty with information DH and DKs need if I were to die suddenly.
SS#s, Driver's License #s, Bank contact info (branch number, address, phone), account numbers, user names & passwords for internet access. Our investment details, as above. All credit card account information, link name, customer service phone #s, statement cut-off date and when those bills are due.

All household accounts. cable, electric, gas, cell phone, car insurance, etc. with customer service phone #s, due dates. For stuff like the car/house/personal insurance that is billed annually, lists agent, value, paid up until X. All internet information such as email addresses, passwords.

Copy of condo title; vehicles plate numbers, registration due dates, copy of titles & photos to support stuff.

Medications: list current medications, prescription numbers, dosage, where they are filled (mail order, Costco, ) and how to go about reordering (including passwords.) A one page medical synopsis for ea. noting surgeries, allergies

Dog: I have a page printed which has all his vet info, shot records, what foods and meds and a few other important details. I update it when there are big changes in our accounts shredding the old version.

Six basics emergency supplies to stock in your home: water, food, 1st aid supplies, clothing, sleeping bags, multi tool. Any special medical requirements [RX]. We store items most likely needed during an evacuation in old backpacks - one for each of us. Our neighbor uses a large, covered trash container.

Water: a three-day supply of water two quarts for drinking, two quarts for for food preparation/sanitation).* Store water in plastic containers. [Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles]
Food: 3 day supply of non-perishable food that require no
refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little water, compact, lightweight.
Kit: Ready-to-eat canned/military pak meats, fruits, and vegetables, juice tetrapaks , salt, sugar, pepper, spices, high energy foods.

First Aid Car Kit from Red Cross

[pearlieq]

Birth certificates.

Also, if you have pets you will need to evacuate, it might be a good idea to keep copies of their registration and vaccination records so they can be admitted to a disaster shelter.

[Broken Arrow]

Originally Posted by momof1in150

I figured he was old enough to get out himself and the life insurance docs are in the safe and on the laptop so either way I would be safe.

I have mixed feelings about this response.

[minnie1928]

You know I've never really thought about this...I really need to come up with something. My husband relies on me to do the finances (since I'm the one with the Accounting degree), but if something would happen to me...well, he'd have a tough time finding his way through everything.

Thanks for posting this!

[jIM_Ohio]

Originally Posted by minnie1928

You know I've never really thought about this...I really need to come up with something. My husband relies on me to do the finances (since I'm the one with the Accounting degree), but if something would happen to me...well, he'd have a tough time finding his way through everything.

Thanks for posting this!

Same situation here. I have a 3 page letter to my wife (in outline form) of where money is and what to do (or not do) with it.

For example it reminds her of the 2 life insurance policies. I remind her that money is post tax, and which debts (like car loans and 2nd mortgage) to pay off first, what to do with IRA rollovers and where to find a CFP.

I gave her a 3 sentence explanation on asset allocation and to look at my accounts for what would be mildly conservative and one fund to buy to ratchet down the risk profile.

It lists websites to go to for questions (like this one and two others I frequent), as well as which posters to listen to in particular.