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Are you prepared for the unexpected and ready to grab crucial financial documents before you have to evacuate your home due to fire, flood, hurricane or any other natural or manmade disaster? If your answer is no, we have some tips on protecting what's important and planning for an emergency. If your answer is yes, this may be a good review to double check that you're completely prepared.

Advanced preparation and planning are the only ways to be prepared for emergency situations. The first step in preparing is organizing paperwork.

Essential Documents
After you've organized all of your financial paperwork, you'll want to collect all of the essential documents you may need in the occurrence of a disaster:

• Bank Account Records
• Birth Certificates
• Credit Card Statements
• Employer Benefit Statements
• Identification Records
• Income Tax Information
• Insurance Policies
• Investment Records
• Loan and Mortgage Information
• Marriage Certificates/Divorce Decrees
• Social Security Card
• Social Security Earnings Report
• Titles, Deeds, Registrations For Property Owned
• Trusts
• Wills

You'll also want to write down contact information for your:

• Advisors
• Employer
• Financial Institutions
• Insurance Agent
• Utility Companies

Storing It All
Once all your documents are collected and organized, you'll want to store it all in a safe place:

• Find a single location to file all essential documents, such as a fireproof box or safe-deposit box. 
• Make copies now and in case you need to provide them to government agencies get them certified.
• Place important original documents in plastic covers to protect them, plus prevent you from giving the originals away. 
• Notify appropriate people where important documents will be located as a precaution should you not be available when they're needed. 
• Make a list of documents that you keep only on your computer and make printouts just in case electrical power fails and you can't access them. 
• Always be aware of the kinds of information that should be added to your filing system and make notes of new ideas, as they happen as a reminder to file it.

It is recommended that you keep marriage records, divorce decrees and birth certificates in a safe-deposit box and not carry the key with you. Keep one of the safe-deposit keys in a safe place at home and give the other to a relative or lawyer.

If you're trying to go paperless and most of your files are on a computer, consider a software program to help get organized. If that doesn't fit your needs or budget, you can at minimum develop your own system to find everything when you need it.

Back It Up
It's important to always have a back up, especially if you store it in a computer. Make a back up of all essential electronic files and store it away from your home on a USB drive or external hard drive. Update your files quarterly and keep it to your safe deposit box.

No matter how you store or don't store your financial documents today, it's important to take action now before the unexpected become a reality. Don't forget to get your loved ones and financial professionals involved whenever possible when making decisions and planning - it'll help. By spending time today preparing for the worst will help you potentially worry about one less thing during a disaster.

You may also be interested in reading Organizing Financial Paperwork.

Sources: Bankrate.com, CNN.com