The document folder.

1. 1

   Identification

   
   • Copies of driver's licenses, passports, birth certificates
   • Social Security cards, copied, not the originals
   • One sheet per person
2. 2

   Insurance

   
   • Home or renters, auto, health, life
   • Policy numbers and the claims phone line
   • Agent's name and number
3. 3

   Proof of where you live

   
   • Deed, mortgage statement or lease
   • A recent utility bill
   • Needed to get back into an evacuated area
4. 4

   Money access

   
   • Bank names and account numbers, no passwords
   • A photocopy of the front and back of each card
   • The number to call if cards are lost
5. 5

   Medical

   
   • Conditions, allergies, blood type per person
   • Doctor and pharmacy numbers
   • Immunization records for kids
6. 6

   Prescriptions

   
   • Name, dose, prescriber for every medication
   • A photo of each label
   • Enough to refill from anywhere
7. 7

   Contacts on paper

   
   • Family, work, school, the out-of-area contact
   • Neighbors and the landlord
   • Phones die, paper does not
8. 8

   Pets

   
   • Vaccination records and chip numbers
   • Vet's number
   • A photo of each pet
9. 9

   Photos of your home

   
   • Every room, every closet, the garage
   • Serial numbers of big electronics
   • This is your insurance claim
10. 10

    Passwords, handled carefully

    
    • A password manager with one master password
    • Or a sealed envelope in the folder
    • Phone PIN and email are the keys to everything
11. 11

    Cash

    
    • Small bills, a few days' worth
    • Cards fail when the power does
    • Replace it when you borrow from it
12. 12

    The copy that survives

    
    • Scan everything to a cloud folder
    • A USB drive in the go-bag
    • One trusted person who can get to it

One folder, one cloud copy, one trusted person who knows where it is.