Beyond 72 Hours: How to Prepare for a Disaster and Stuff You Need to Know after a Disaster. A comprehensive, practical and sane strategy for preparing for and surviving any disaster. Many internet resources are referenced for additional information on emergency medicine and first aid training, emergency communications training, and general preparedness training. Preparedness does not mean living in fear or wasting money and resources on stuff that you never use. Anyone can live a more secure life through forethought and planning. In uncertain times, a solid preparedness plan is essential for every individual and family. When unexpected disasters happen, people who are even a little prepared are much better off than those who have taken their dependence on outside resources for granted.
Purpose: To organize into one portable kit all of the documents, tools and resources that you would need to handle the administrative aspects of reconstructing your life after a disaster.
The business kit contains:
Copies of your insurance policies, appraisals of valuable items, inventory of personal and real property with serial numbers and photographs of your household and contents. In short, everything that you would need to file insurance claims.
Copies of your automobile and property titles.
A list of contact numbers for all of your family, friends, associates, doctors, banks, credit cards and emergency numbers (written and laminated - not in cell phone memories).
Copies of your drivers licenses and passports.
Check books.
A duplicate debit card for your checking account.
A credit card - an extra one that you never use.
A portable hard drive with a backup of all of the important files on all of your computers.
Cash.
Copies of all important documents regarding investments.
Copies of all contracts that you are a party to.
Copies or originals of all special family photos, etc.
A spare cell phone - Get a prepaid phone with a minutes card - charge the phone but do not activate it. Keep it for emergency use.
A car charger and a solar charger for your cell phones. Solar chargers are readily available on places like ebay.
A prepaid calling card.
A spare notebook computer. It could be an older one that you keep as a backup or a newer compact one.
All of these items can be stashed in a briefcase or equivalent. Imagine that you are having to evacuate because of an approaching hurricane. Imagine trying to round up your important papers and other items and think of everything you need to do before abandoning home.
Imagine what it would be like sitting in a hotel room many miles away trying to do damage control and salvage your life with and without your pre-packed briefcase.
