A woman walks out of a house in Chauvin on Oct. 29, 2020, a day after the roof was torn away by Hurricane Zeta. PROVIDED
How to build a grab-and-go box It’s possible to replace birth and death certifi cates, tax records, banking infor mation, wills, medical information, deeds and other important documents should they be lost or destroyed. But it’s a lot easier to protect them instead. The LSU AgCenter has developed a guide to building a collection of records and documents — a “grabandgo box” — modeled off similar suggestions from other Gulf Coast states. Place paper records in portable boxes that are durable, sealed, fi reproof and waterproof. Papers in the box should be sealed in waterproof plastic bags. The AgCenter also recommends a backpack, preferably waterproof, for easier carrying. As a backup, put copies of these rec ords on a USB thumb drive or upload them to the cloud using a service like
Dropbox or Google Drive. Unless you ab solutely need paper copies, this can not only save plenty of time as you evacuate but make your go box more manageable. Gathering and storing personal rec ords also can help you recover in case of other disasters, such as fi res. Your box should include the following: h Traveler’s checks or cash. h Rolls of quarters. h Emergency phone numbers includ ing family members, doctors, pharma cies, fi nancial advisers, clergy and repair contractors. Keep those in your cell phone too. h Copies of important prescriptions such as medication and eyeglasses. h A cellphone charger and cable. h Copies of children’s immunization records. h Copies of health, dental and pre
scription insurance cards and phone numbers. h Copies of auto, fl ood, renters and homeowners insurance policies or at least the policy numbers. h Insurance company telephone numbers, including numbers for local agents and company headquarters. h Copies of realestate deeds, vehicle titles, wills, durable power of attorney, health care directives, stock and bond certifi cates and birth, death, adoption, citizenship and marriage certifi cates. h Copies of a home inventory. h Copies of passports. h Copies of employee benefi t docu ments. h Copies of the fi rst two pages of the previous year’s federal and state in cometax returns. h Keys to any safedeposit box.
h List of numbers for Social Security, bank accounts, loans, credit cards, driv er’s licenses and investment accounts. h Usernames and passwords. h Photocopies of the front and back of all credit cards. Store the box or backpack in safe, out ofsight spot in your home. When evacu ating, keep the box with you all times and avoid leaving it in unattended vehicles. It’s a good idea to keep originals of personal documents in the grabandgo box with a trusted friend or relative who lives outside the hurricane zone. Having access to personal information can help you avoid extra hassles following disas ters, such as missing payments and damaging credit ratings. The records also can make fi ling FEMA claims easier. Replacing most personal information is doable but can take months.
