It has never been so important for every household to have a last-minute evacuation plan. Our actions—and/failure to act—are worsening climate change, bringing different types of climate disasters and unprecedented levels of risk to communities that might not have previously experienced them.
Even those who think they might be safe from any climate disaster should consider being proactive rather than reactive to save themselves from tragedy by being unprepared. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, there have been 15 confirmed climate disaster events in the United States so far this year, with losses exceeding $1 billion each. Here are some steps you can take to avoid adding to this increasing number.
Keep your important documents safe and consolidated
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Evacuations can be very sudden. You might not have time to look for your family’s passports and then run to get your tax documents from the basement. The best thing to do is to keep your important documents in a waterproof, fire-resistant safe that is light enough to carry with you.
Some things you should keep in the safe:
- Passport
- Insurance policies
- Extra checks
- Copy of your driver’s license
- Social Security card
- Bank, investment and credit card account numbers
- Legal documents (wills, marriage and birth certificates, home and vehicles titles)
- Some cash or traveler’s checks
Be prepared for an evacuation with these must-have products:
Make copies and put your documents in the cloud or away from home
You should keep copies of all those important documents in case your safe is lost or damaged or you simply don’t have time to retrieve it. You can make physical copies and put them in a safe deposit box or give them to a trusted friend or relative (somewhere far from where you live, or it’ll likely suffer the same fate). You can also digitize them and put them on a cloud-based service such as Google Drive or Apple’s iCloud.
Make an inventory of your valuables
If you lose your home, your insurance is going to want as much detailed information of anything you’re claiming to have lost. The more information you have, the easier it’ll be for you to claim the right value of your household items and not forget any important things. This can be as easy as taking pictures of rooms, individual items, or simple videos or as intricate as having an Excel sheet with every item’s model, serial number, and price. Ideally, you’d want to be somewhere in the middle.
Evaluate where you and your insurance policy stand
You’d probably be devastated if you evacuate your home from a flood and had done all the previously mentioned work only to find out your insurance plan did not cover floods (most rental or homeowner insurance plans don’t cover floods—it’s a separate plan).
You want to make sure you have the right type and amount of insurance. If your valuables are easily worth $100,00, but you’re paying for a maximum coverage of $50,000, you’re not well-prepared. Call your insurance agent and ask if it’ll cover all your valuables and the type of disaster you think you’re more susceptible to. (You should also consider life insurance if you live in an area with a high risk of natural disasters.)
While you’re on the phone with your insurance, also ask about disability insurance. If you get hurt in a natural disaster and can’t work anymore, would you be able to survive, based on your savings? You should get enough disability insurance to cover 60% to 70% of your income.
When it comes to flood insurance, you can call the National Flood Insurance Program at 877-336-2627 or use FloodSmart.gov to help you shop for a provider.
If you rent, keep in mind that your landlord’s homeowner’s insurance does not cover your personal belongings. You should get renter’s insurance to protect your belongings.