Creating an Emergency Binder for Your Family

Should an emergency occur, are you prepared? You may think that you are if you have a kit available with plenty of fresh water, canned goods, medications and extra clothing for three days, as recommended by planning experts. One item that you might not have handy, however, is an emergency binder. This is a book or binder full of the paperwork that you may need in case of an emergency. It should be stored in a fireproof, waterproof location, and it should be accessible enough that you can grab it while running out the door, if need be. What should you have in this binder? Here are some tips on what to include:

Make a list of medications that each family member takes, both prescription and non-prescription. Include herbal supplements and vitamins, too. In case of a medical emergency, the treating doctor can consult with this list to be sure that he isn’t giving the sick or injured family member something that will react with medications currently being taken. Also, be sure to list any allergies or other special health concerns in this section. Make copies of standing prescriptions, as well; if you run out of your asthma inhaler or need to use your injectable epinephrine for an allergic reaction, you will want to be able to obtain a refill even if you have evacuated the area and are away from home.

If the worst should happen and your home is destroyed by fire, flood or wind, you will need some documents in order to begin piecing your life back together. Make copies of all marriage certificates, birth certificates, passports, driver’s licenses and social security cards. Also include a copy of your will, life insurance policy, home insurance policy, and any deeds, titles, military records or power of attorney documents that you may have.

In this day and age, most of us have telephone numbers on our smartphones, but it’s important to have them down on paper somewhere as well. Include numbers for your car insurance, doctors and local businesses that you frequent. Also copy down the addresses and phone numbers, including landlines, for your family members and close friends. While you are compiling this, talk to your family about having a local and a non-local contact person in case of emergency. Even if you can’t reach one another, each of you can call to check in with the local contact as well as someone in another state. The reason for the latter is because during a widespread emergency, often phone lines are down, so it might be easier for you to call someone across the country than your next door neighbor. If your family members get separated, even if you are unable to call one another, you will be assured to know that everyone is safe because they have checked in with someone hundreds of miles away.

These are actually needed for more than sentimental purposes if there were an emergency that caused you to be separated from your children, you may need proof that your kids actually belong to you, particularly if they are too young to give a positive identification. This also matters if you have older kids, as if they were injured or in shock, they might not be able to say that you are their parent! Having a family photo taken within the past year or two in the binder is good proof that you all belong together.

Finally, be sure to put some cash in the binder if you do not already have it available in the rest of your emergency kit. During some types of emergencies, credit cards and ATM cards won’t work, and you will need cash in order to make purchases, fill your gas tank and pay for hotel accommodations.

Preparing for an emergency well ahead of time is important for your physical health and safety, and also for your peace of mind. Put together an emergency binder as soon as possible so that if tragedy strikes, you’ll be ready.