Don't Forget this Vital Information when Prepping
Whether you're prepping for the zombie apocalypse or simply want to be ready for blizzards, hurricanes, earthquakes or any such disasters, don't neglect your personal documents.
They're easy to overlook when stockpiling food, candles, batteries and other more 'glamorous' survival items.
Yet personal identification documents could make all the difference to you and your family in the event your home is destroyed, or in a run for your life scenario, especially if you have to start over again in a different state, or even country.
Image courtesy of Jorge Flores
These include the following:
Birth Certificates
Marriage Certificates
Death Certificates
Divorce Certificates
Insurance Policies
Educational and Professional Credentials
Property Deeds/Mortgage Records
Bank and Financial Records
Licenses - e.g., Driving, Gun, etc.
Medical Records
Ideally, you want original state-issued documents, particularly when it comes to birth/marriage certificates, not photocopies.
Keep in mind that these documents may be difficult or impossible to get in the event of major disasters or war. Of course we hope such things never happen, but prudent people don't live on hope.
"The prudent man foresees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it" Proverbs 22:3
Fortunately, at present, you can easily order these documents online. For U.S. documents, try Vitalcheck.
With VitalChek, you can easily order your government-issued vital records online including birth certificates, marriage records, death records and divorce records. They've been around for 25 years and are a reputable government-authorized service by which you can securely obtain certified vital records from official government agencies nationwide. I used their service in the past and recommend it based on my experience. It was very convenient. Also note that they provide CERTIFIED vital records, not merely copies.
If you prefer, you can go through your state instead, although this may be more time consuming. The Vitalchek website has links to all the state agencies, including Puerto Rico, with their addresses and phone numbers.
If you live in the United Kingdom, visit the General Register Office for England and Wales online ordering service.
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/default.asp
The General Register Office holds a central copy of all registrations for England and Wales. Local Register Offices also hold records of events registered in their area.
So, take a look through your personal files and make sure you have certified vital records. You can purchase waterproof, zippered storage bags on Amazon, which I recommend for storing them in. As further backup you should also have them stored on a password protected flashdrive.
Now, in the event that you need to prove your identify post-disaster, or establish yourself and your family in a new life, you're ready.
Maybe preppers could learn a thing or two from the experiences of Syrian and other modern-day refugees, I'm sure they'd have a few useful tips along these lines! Thanks for the post.
Yes, I'm sure much could be learned from their experiences. Thanks for your suggestion.
great information, and why i follow you
So glad you found the information helpful. I will be doing more posts on similar topics of preparation and internationalization. Thanks for your support
Good to know and implement.
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for stopping by.
Vital documents are often forgotten by people during disaster. Thank you for sharing this info.
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Thank you so much preppers. I appreciate your comment and support.
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STOPVery good article eyeofthestorm!
I was just talking with someone yesterday about prepping. One never knows what could happen, and a situation could arise where leaving home in a hurry is the case. I have most of this stuff ready to go just for preparedness.
Loved the tips that you shared! Love this article!!! Very well done!!!
Thank you so much livingwaters! I really appreciate your kind comments and am so glad you found the info. helpful.
This is very important information for the ones that may have not added this to their list. Great post! : )
Thanks, whatisnew! It really is hard to think of everything, kind of like packing for vacation when you're always wondering what little thing you've forgotten --lol ---Glad you found the post helpful.
Once again you did an excellent job of writing this very important post. Being prepared is essential because you never know when things will hit. Thank-you for the list of things and all the necessary information we need to prep or in the event of a disaster. Excellent job!
Wishing you much success. @eyeofthestorm, I'm not sure if you are into sustainable living but if you are, I was recently with a group called eco-Train. They are a wonderful group who support and vote for each other. I had to resign from the group because I couldn't keep up with voting and commenting because of my situation with my dog being on oral chemotherapy. If you are interested you can contact @eco-alex who is the head of this group. You can even mention my name. I know you work really hard on your posts and sometimes it helps to have others who support you.
If you want to get a better feel for the group you can go to a post I did when I left. From the comments you can see how wonderful these people are. My post is at: https://steemit.com/ecotrain/@cabbagepatch/a-tribute-to-earthships-and-the-eco-train-steemit-group-thank-you-for-everything . You could probably reply to eco-alex's comment to reach him. Please take care! :D