Retrieving important personal documents may not be the first thing people think of when disaster strikes their home. But as many victims of Hurricane Katrina learned, such paperwork is vital when it comes to stitching lives back together. Emergency management workers around the country are trying to teach people how to protect documents so they can be recovered quickly when homes are struck by fire, hurricanes, earthquakes or other disasters.

"I would like to think that people pay attention," said Irene Toner, director of Monroe County Emergency Management in the Florida Keys. "It's a matter of preparedness." Toner, who helps organize emergency response in an area where hurricanes are a fact of life, urges residents to keep multiple copies of life insurance policies, Social Security cards, credit cards, driver's licenses, deeds and birth certificates, as well as other information.

In areas more prone to earthquakes, such as California, or tornadoes, such as Kansas, think in terms of the specific threat, Hamburg says. Even choosing the location in your home for a fire safe is important.

 

 

Renting a safe deposit box

 

Although you would be able to store valuables other than documents in a safe deposit box, there is always the chance that the bank could also suffer damage from a natural disaster. Another disadvantage to using a safe deposit box is that you can only access it when the bank is open, and in the case of your death, the safe deposit box would be sealed. So if your original will is in the box, rather than in your house or at your attorney's office, it might take a long time for your executor to get her hands on it. States have different laws regulating access to a safe deposit box after the owner's death, so ask the bank if a court order or other official action is required for someone to open your safe deposit box upon your death -- a power of attorney document that designates who should have access to your safe deposit box won't do the trick.

 

Of course, there's no 100 percent guarantee that a natural disaster won't destroy or damage your bank -- and its safe deposit boxes -- but the companies that make the safe deposit boxes and the vaults that house them make them resistant (not proof) to earthquakes, explosions, fire, flood, and heat, according to an article published in the FDIC Consumer News. If damage should occur, however, FDIC insurance doesn't cover the contents of your safe deposit box.

 

Buying a fire-resistant safe

 

If you want to keep your financial papers out of reach to an inquisitive relative, babysitter, or child, you can buy a lockable file cabinet. Spend a bit more to buy a large fire-resistant file box, file cabinet, or safe and you'll give yourself more protection from theft and fire. If theft is also a concern, you might want to look at a floor or wall safe -- both are much easier to conceal than a safe -- or a safe that you can bolt to a closet shelf or floor. (And if you opt to pay a pro to install your floor safe in cement, it'll really be difficult to steal!) But unless you have $1 million in cash or thousands of dollars of jewelry in your house, anything bulky and heavy is likely to successfully deter a burglar -- especially something that weighs too much for the thief to tuck under his arm and carry out your front door.

 

When evaluating different fire-resistant items, consider what you might put inside that requires protection: Paper burns at 450 degrees F, but temperatures as low as 125 degrees F can damage computer disks and audio/visual media, such as CDs and videotapes. An item's UL class rating reflects how much heat it can withstand: Class 125 protects floppy disks; Class 150 protects film, magnetic tape and videotapes; Class 350 protects paper documents, fabric, and metals (coins, jewelry, etc.). Of course, if you live in a flood-prone area, you'll need to invest in something that's water-proof as well as fire-resistant.