Imagine a scenario of life crisis where you are asked to grab whatever you want and run for your life. What will you grab? Your mobile phone? Pets? Favorite dress or Jewelry? Cash? Wallet? Your kids?

Let us all pray to the Gods, take a great sip of positivity and hope such a situation never happens in our lives. But, whatever your preferences are, there is one thing that is a must among them – your Emergency Binder.

Because it is the one thing that is the key to starting over and straightening your back up. The power of a few folders containing some documents cannot be underestimated.

So let’s do ourselves and our families a great favor and set up an Emergency Binder or two. We can sort it out like this:

Emergency Documents

Contacts of:

  • Family / Friends ( and addresses )
  • Ambulance
  • Hospitals / Doctors
  • Helpline
  • Police
  • Fire Stations
  • Business / work
  • Schools / Day care centre
  • Church / Community

List of essential utilities that are to be bought.

Maps of the city and state, evacuation routes.

Family Documents

  • Marriage Certificates
  • Adoption or Foster certificates
  • Immigration Papers
  • Records regarding Religious Communities
  • Library / Community memberships
  • Family Pictures
  • Death Certificates

Financial Documents

  • Bank Account details
  • Tax records
  • Loan Documents
  • Trust fund details
  • Credit card details
  • Phone numbers
  • Passwords
  • Investment Statements
  • Stocks and Bonds details
  • Retirement fund details
  • Student Loans records
  • Charity records

Individual Documents

  • Birth Certificates
  • Driving Licenses
  • Passports
  • Social Security papers
  • Identification details
  • Copies of Credit cards
  • Photos ( Stamp size, Passport size, Profiles )
  • School / College Certificates
  • Degree / Diploma Certificates

Medical Documents

  • Doctors’ contacts
  • Dentist’s contact
  • Medical Power of Attorney papers
  • Immunization records
  • Medical history papers
  • Current prescriptions
  • Insurance information
  • Medicine dosage information
  • Allergy reaction information

Insurance Documents

  • Family / individual Medical Insurance
  • Home Owners policies
  • Life Insurance Policy
  • Vehicle Insurances
  • Jewelry Insurance papers
  • Household equipment Insurance papers
  • Medical Insurance
  • Warranty papers
  • Property Insurance records
  • Business Insurance records
  • Machinery Insurance records

Digital Documents

Keep soft copies of all the different documents in:

  • CDs
  • DVDs
  • Pen drives
  • Cloud
  • Memory Cards

Property Documents

Preferably original documents of:

  • Deeds
  • Titles
  • Wills
  • Trust papers
  • Legal records
  • Important Keepsakes papers
  • Land or Real Estate records
  • Mortgage / Lease papers
  • Power of Attorney papers
  • Insurance Policy records (Home, life, automobiles, property, boats etc.)
  • Home Inventory records
  • Burial property papers
  • Vehicle registration records

Pets’ Documents

  • Sterilization papers
  • Rabies shot proof
  • Medical records
  • Animal registration
  • Adoption agency proof
  • Photographs
  • Medical prescriptions
  • Livestock registration records
  • Veterinary Doctors / Clinics contacts

Cash, Keys and Miscellaneous

  • An envelope containing large bills
  • An envelope containing small bills
  • Coins
  • Duplicate Credit / Debit cards
  • Basic Stationery
  • Duplicate Keys of :
    • Vehicles
    • Locks
    • Storage spaces
    • House

It is always advisable to update the Emergency Binder twice a year, discard outdated documents and replace with recent documents. A Fire and water proof Emergency Binder is preferred.

You must also make sure to keep additional copies of documents (both hard and soft copies) somewhere other than your home.