Be Prepared : “Ready in a Flash” Drives
One of the most important parts of preparedness is creating back up copies of your critical documents. For many years this meant physical copies. However, in the aftermath of a storm, even those individuals who have prepared copies of their documents can face challenges in managing all of their paperwork and retaining it for practical use. Paper records can be damaged by the elements, leaving them illegible or completely destroyed. Those who need to evacuate or relocate multiple times during the course of a disaster may lose or inadvertently damage documents.
Today the most efficient means of backing up your documents is to make digital copies, and to store them on an external drive. Storing scanned versions of your critical documents on an external drive can make filing insurance claims easier after a disaster. It can expedite processing with FEMA, and also help move along the replacement of lost or damaged items.
Love City Strong believes that document preparation and storage is a vital and oft-overlooked aspect of personal preparedness. This summer, we are holding a series of pop-ups to assist residents in scanning their documents onto a portable USB drive. Priority will be given to seniors, families, and residents with a disability or nonemergency medical need. Individuals are then encouraged to place these USB drives in their disaster preparedness kit alongside their other personal preparedness items.
For those whom do not have a personal computer at home or have lost their computer due to a disaster, portable devices such as a USB can be brought to community resources (such as nonprofits) whose employees and agents can then in turn print out copies for individuals to then bring to a federal agency employee at a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC).
A suggested list of documents to bring in and have scanned includes, but is not limited to:
- Birth certificates
- Driver’s licenses
- Social security cards
- Proof of home and land ownership documents
- Proof of rental
- Tax records
- Financial records
- Energy and Internet bills or statements which have meter/account numbers on them
- Insurance documents
- Medical information
- Vehicle documents
- Dependent documents
- Pictures of the interior and exterior of your home
The next “Ready in a Flash” Drive will be held in Franklin Powell Park, Cruz Bay, on Friday, August 19th from 10 AM to 2 pm. If you have questions about this program, please call the office, (340)714-7744, or email info@lovecitystrongvi.org.
Donate here to support annual community preparedness programs like this one.