Emergency Preparedness: Protecting Important Documents (NAPSA)—Homeis wherepeo- ple usually feel safe. However, when a hurricane, flood, tornado, wildfire or other disaster strikes, it’s sometimes safest to pack up and go to anotherlocation. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, says that when it comes to preparing for situations like weather emergencies, financial readiness can be as important as a flashlight with fully charged batteries. The FTC offers these tips: KeepIt Safe Buy a lockable, fireproof file box. Place important documents in the lockbox and keep the box in a secure, accessible location in your home so you can “grab it and go” if the needarises. Take Inventory Conduct a household inventory. Makea list of your possessions and document it with photos or a video to help with insurance claims. Keep one copy of the It’s important to keep important papers together and in an easily accessible location, should you need to quickly grab them in an emergency. Backups of financial data you keep on your computer, an extra set of keys for your house and car, the key to your safe- deposit box and a small amountof cash or traveler’s checks. Choose Out-Of-Town Contacts Ask an out-of-town friend or inventory in your lockbox. Keep relative to be the point of contact different secure location. Addi- everyone in your family has the information. After some emergencies, it can be easier to make a another in a safe-deposit box or a tional items to keep in your lock- box include: e A list of emergency contacts, copies of current prescriptions and health insurance cards or infor- mation, policy numbers for insur- ance anda list of telephone numbers of your insurance companies; Copies of other important financial and family records including deeds, titles, wills, birth and marriage certificates, passports, and relevant employee ben- efit and retirement documents and Social Security cards; A list of phone numbersor e- mail addresses of your creditors, financial institutions, landlords and utility companies, as well asa list of all account numbers; for your family, and make sure long-distance call than a local one. To learn more about organizing your important documents in case of an emergency, see Financial Readiness: As Critical as Fully Charged Batteries at ftc.gov/credit. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call, toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1- 877-382-4357); TTY: (866) 6534261.
