How to assemble a grab-and-go box

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 information, 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 records on a USB thumb drive or upload them to the cloud using a service like Dropbox or Google Drive. Unless you absolutely 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 records 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 including family members, doctors, pharmacies, financial advisers, clergy and repair contractors. Keep those in your cellphone 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 prescription 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 documents. h Copies of the first two pages of the previous year’s federal and state incometax returns. h Keys to any safedeposit box.

h List of numbers for Social Security, bank accounts, loans, credit cards, driver’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, outofsight spot in your home. When evacuating, 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 disasters, 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.