Are you Ready for Hurricane Season?

According to the National Hurricane Center (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/), the Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15th and also ends November 30th.  As of this moment, there are no storms bearing down on us, so this is the PERFECT time to make your plans to survive a potential disaster this year.  The Scan Man highly recommends that businesses and families visit FEMA’s website, Ready.gov.  This site has a wealth of resources for any type of disaster planning, including hurricanes, fires, floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes.  Below is a section about protecting your Vital Records (http://www.ready.gov/insurance-vital-records).

VITAL RECORDS

Disasters not only affect community infrastructure and public works, but they often overcome family finances, making recovery difficult and sometimes impossible.  Start by completing an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (PDF – 977 Kb) created in partnership with Operation HOPE.

Research shows that while 71% of households reported having copies of important financial documents in a safe place, only 1% specifically mentioned the documents as being part of their household disaster supplies.  Only 2% of households reported having cash as part of their disaster preparedness supplies.

Pre-disaster financial planning is essential for individuals and families to complete because disasters leave many Americans without access to finances or with expensive damages.

The EFFAK is a simple tool designed to assist you and your family in being financially prepared before a disaster strikes and maintaining financial stability in the event of an emergency. EFFAK helps you to identify and organize key financial records and provides a quick reference file for your most important financial documents.

One kit per household is recommended, although in the event one kit is used for a couple, all joint and separate accounts and liabilities should be included.

And don’t forget to scan your photos!