What To Do Before Disaster Strikes

When disaster strikes – wildfires, floods, hurricanes, or a house fire – planning and preparation is imperative. It won’t necessarily save your home or belongings from a disaster, but it might help you recover faster and perhaps with a little less stress.

The stories from the California wildfires were heartbreaking. People ran for their lives, often with only the clothes on their backs and their pets in their arms. Besides the loss of life, many others lost everything when their homes burned to the ground: family photos, jewelry, heirlooms, family memories and much, much more. Some had no insurance, through no fault of their own. Others were underinsured.

“When I think about natural disasters and financial ones, there’s really two paths for us to consider,” says Emily Irwin, head of the Advice Center at Wells Fargo Bank. “The first is, how do you prepare yourself as a human being, and make sure you’re taking care of your loved ones? And then the other path is dealing with the ramifications, both practically and financially, of the effects that catastrophe has on your life.

“For example, it’s making sure that if you live in an area where you think there could be a hurricane, a tornado, a wildfire, something of that nature, that you’re always prepared and that you make a plan before something happens,” she says. “Because when you’re acting under duress, of course, it’s incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to have clear mind and clear focus.”

Start with a fireproof box or safe

“Getting a waterproof, fireproof box that’s readily accessible by you is really important,” Irwin stresses. “Ideally, those documents would be with your go bag, so, if you had to get out of dodge quickly you could grab those…”

“One of the things that I ask my clients who live in disaster prone areas, which could be hurricanes, is if you only had 30 minutes to grab those important belongings and information together, what would you take with you?” says Karen B. McIntyre, Senior Financial Advisor at Wescott Financial Advisory Group in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “And sometimes that’s sentimental items, and sometimes it’s the purely financial or business side of life.”

That might include insurance policies (life, health, homeowners and car), passports, birth certificates, legal documents and bank and credit card information.

“I’ve suggested to all of our clients that they maintain electronic copies of as much as they can, whether that be photos, copies of credit cards, passports and so on,” she says. McIntyre says her firm has a secure portal where clients can upload their private files where only they have access. “Some people put copies of passports, birth certificates, wedding licenses, divorce decrees, legal documents, like wills in the estate, pre- and post-nuptials, copies of business, purchase agreements, those kinds of things.”

A list of key contacts

McIntyre says she also suggests a list of important contacts, not necessarily a hard copy list, but something that can be stored in their phone. That list, she says, would not just be friends and families, but the contact information for insurance agents and doctors.

A go bag

It may sound like something out of a spy movie, but Irwin says her colleagues suggest a pre-packed to-go bag that is always ready. “They don’t wait for it to be fire season, and it has their supplies in it. It has an extra set of medications in it, for example, it has batteries that they might need, extra chargers for phones and any sort of essential medical documents that they would also need to have.”

A communications plan

“Whether you have a family with older or younger generations as part of that family, children who are minors, children who are young adults, maybe older parents you’re caring for – how are you going to communicate?” says Irwin. “Who’s going to be the point of communication? Make it easy and simple. That way, there’s one point of contact, and that person can go ahead down the chain and ensure that there is kind of a checklist of safety amongst family.”

Plan for an emergency shelter

Make plans for your emergency shelter to the extent it is possible, says Irwin. “It is not always possible. It’s probably more possible natural disasters that can be forecasted, such as a hurricane, versus something like a tornado or wildfires. Still, understanding where you are going to seek shelter, and really making sure you have the funds set aside for the gas, the flights, the hotel, for a emergency situation that you might have to immediately tap into.”

Emergency catastrophe fund

While three to six months’ salary is appropriate for an emergency savings fund, you might consider an emergency catastrophe fund where you have a few thousand dollars set aside that is immediately accessible and available, says Irwin.

Insurance policy review

McIntyre says it’s a good idea to have your financial advisor or insurance advisor take a look at all of your insurance coverages periodically. “There could be a significant increase in the value of your personal items,” she says. “If you have collectibles or jewelry, it would be a good idea to have them appraised periodically to determine if coverage is necessary. Someone should be looking at your assets, together with your insurance policies, to determine that everything is as it should be. It gives you the opportunity to say, I have a piece of art that I didn’t even think to have appraised and potentially insured, and make sure that the coverage is in place in the event of fire or if they’re damaged or stolen.”

WANT MORE TIPS?

Are you prepared if disaster strikes? Join Senior Planet on February 10 for a webinar on “Tech Tips for Disaster Planning.”   Information is here, along with a handout.  And check out this Senior Planet Youtube video of a panel discussion with experts on disaster planning.

YOUR TURN

Did you weather a disaster? Share your experience and tips in the comments!

 

Rodney A. Brooks is an award-winning journalist and author. The former Deputy Managing Editor/Money at USA TODAY, his retirement columns appear in U.S. News & World Report and Senior Planet.com. He has also written for National Geographic, The Washington Post and USA TODAY and has testified before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. His book, “The Rise & Fall of the Freedman’s Bank, And Its Lasting Socio-economic Impact on Black America” was released in 2024. He is also author of the book “Fixing the Racial Wealth Gap.” His website is www.rodneyabrooks.com

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