Chapter 13. Protecting Important Documents and Digital Records
Important documents can be difficult to replace after a wildfire, earthquake, flood, house fire, evacuation, or other emergency. Identification may be needed to obtain assistance or prove residency. Insurance records can help begin a claim. Prescription information may be essential when a person cannot reach their regular pharmacy or medical provider.
Residents of Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon, Danville, Sunol, and surrounding Tri-Valley communities should organize and protect essential household records before an emergency occurs. The goal is not to carry every original document during an evacuation. It is to maintain secure, accessible copies while protecting originals from fire, water, theft, loss, and unauthorized access.
Begin With Identification and Vital Records
Create an inventory of the documents used to establish each household member’s identity and important legal relationships. Depending on the household, these may include:
- Driver’s licenses or other government-issued identification
- Passports
- Birth, marriage, adoption, or citizenship records
- Social Security information
- Military records
- Guardianship, custody, or power-of-attorney documents
- Wills, trusts, and advance healthcare directives
Decide which originals need especially secure storage and which copies should be available during an emergency. A paper or digital copy may help begin a recovery process, but some agencies will still require an original or certified copy for an official transaction.
Do not leave unprotected copies containing Social Security numbers, passport information, or other sensitive details in an unlocked vehicle or easily accessible bag.
Organize Insurance and Property Information
Keep copies of homeowners, renters, vehicle, health, life, flood, earthquake, and other applicable insurance policies. Record each insurer’s name, policy number, claims telephone number, website, agent, and renewal date.
Property records may include:
- A deed, lease, or mortgage information
- Vehicle titles and registration
- Home-improvement receipts and permits
- Warranties for major appliances
- Property-tax information
- Records for valuable personal belongings
- Photographs or videos of the home and its contents
A household inventory can support an insurance claim by showing what was owned before a loss. Photograph rooms, furniture, electronics, artwork, jewelry, tools, and other significant possessions. Record serial numbers when practical, and update the inventory after major purchases or renovations.
Ready.gov’s Emergency Financial First Aid Kit provides checklists and forms for organizing critical financial, medical, and household information.
Compile Medical and Prescription Records
Prepare a concise medical information sheet for every household member. Include:
- Medical conditions and allergies
- Prescription names, dosages, and schedules
- Prescribers and pharmacies
- Health-insurance information
- Emergency medical contacts
- Blood type, if known
- Implanted devices or essential medical equipment
- Accessibility and communication needs
Do not depend exclusively on prescription bottles or an online patient portal. A telephone may be lost, damaged, discharged, or unable to connect. Keep the information current and ask an appropriate healthcare professional whether additional records should be included.
Store only the medical information necessary for emergency use. Protect detailed medical records against unauthorized access.
Record Financial and Professional Contacts
Create a contact sheet for banks, credit unions, credit-card companies, mortgage providers, financial advisers, accountants, attorneys, insurance agents, employers, and benefit administrators. Include account or policy references only when necessary, and avoid listing passwords or personal identification numbers.
Households should also maintain an appropriate record of regular financial obligations. This can help identify bills, loan payments, insurance premiums, and other commitments if mail, computers, or normal routines are disrupted.
A modest amount of emergency cash may be kept separately, but financial records should not disclose where cash, keys, valuables, or security codes are stored.
Include Pet and Service-Animal Records
Emergency documentation should cover pets and service animals. Keep copies of vaccination records, licenses, microchip numbers, medication information, veterinarian contacts, photographs, and evidence of ownership.
Include feeding instructions, behavioral or medical concerns, and an emergency caregiver’s contact information. A recent photograph showing the owner with the animal may help establish ownership if they become separated.
Maintain Emergency Contacts on Paper
Mobile phones are valuable but should not be the only place emergency contacts are stored. Prepare a printed list containing household members, relatives, trusted neighbors, schools, caregivers, medical providers, veterinarians, insurance companies, utility emergency lines, and the family’s out-of-area contact.
Place an appropriate copy in each go-bag, vehicle, and household emergency kit. Limit sensitive information in children’s backpacks or other places where documents could be lost or viewed by strangers.
Protect Paper Copies and Originals
Store original documents and protected copies in containers appropriate for the risks in your area. Options may include a securely installed fire-resistant and water-resistant home safe, a safe-deposit box, or another protected off-site location.
“Fire-resistant” and “water-resistant” do not necessarily mean that a container can survive every fire or flood. Review product specifications and do not place all originals and copies together.
Keep quick-access copies in a sealed waterproof pouch if they may be needed during an evacuation. However, do not put the household’s only copy—or every original—in a go-bag. A portable bag could be forgotten, stolen, damaged, or lost.
Create Secure Digital Backups
Scan important documents and save them in a clear folder system. Digital records may be stored through a reputable encrypted cloud service, an encrypted external drive, or both. Use a strong, unique password and enable multifactor authentication.
The Federal Trade Commission recommends organizing important papers before a disaster and using secure personal cloud storage for scanned copies. Review its guidance on organizing important documents.
An external drive stored beside the original documents could be destroyed in the same incident. Keep at least one protected backup in another physical location. Make sure a trusted adult knows that the backup exists and how it can be accessed when appropriate, without sharing passwords through an unsecured note.
Test backups periodically. A file that cannot be opened, an expired link, or an inaccessible account will be of little help during an emergency.
Review the entire records system at least once a year and after a move, marriage, divorce, birth, death, new pet, medication change, property purchase, insurance change, or major financial transition.
Helpful Hint
Keep protected copies in more than one location. Do not carry your only copy of an essential document in a go-bag that could be lost. Maintain secure paper and digital backups, and confirm periodically that the files remain current and accessible.
Important Safety Reminder
Documents are replaceable; lives are not. Never delay an evacuation to search for records, retrieve a safe, or collect original documents. Leave promptly when ordered and follow current instructions from authorized public-safety officials.
Important Preparedness and Safety Notice
This chapter provides general preparedness education, not real-time emergency instructions. Conditions, evacuation zones, routes, shelters, road closures, and public-safety directions can change rapidly. During an emergency, consult current information from authorized public agencies and follow all instructions issued by emergency officials. Call 911 for an immediate threat to life, active fire, serious injury, crime in progress, or another urgent emergency.
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