10 Emergency Docs You Will Need To Survive

When tragedy strikes it can be hard to know what you will need to survive. But it is a given that you will not be thinking about any documentation that you will need.

10 Emergency Docs you Will Need to Survive

After all, when the apocalypse happens, why would you need your passport?

The answer is that you never truly know what you will need for survival and having these important documents on your person is a great way to cover your bases in case you need them.

In this article we are going to talk about ten of the most important emergency documents that you will need to survive.

So, without further ado, let us get started!

Why Are Survival Docs Needed?

We never expect the worst to happen. But if it does, you will need to be prepared. In this case by having emergency docs readily available with your survival kit you are ensuring that you have all the important information you might need on hand.

On top of that you are ensuring that your documentation can be replaced fairly easily.

In some cases like with family memorabilia you are ensuring that you do not completely lose family photos or other documentation that is important to you.

What Docs Do You Need?

There are a ton of potentially helpful documents that you can scrape together that could be very helpful in a survival setting.

In this article we are going to cover ten of the most important documents you should have in your survival kit. But there are others that you might want to consider.

For example, in addition to the ten documents we are going to talk about below you might want to have the following documents on hand as well: Household and place of business inventory, copies of insurance policies, mortgage documents, title papers, motor vehicle titles and bills of sale, safe deposit box location and key, investment portfolio, employee benefits information, funeral and burial plans, a copy of documents in wallet (Also check out the Best Wallet Card Survival Kits) or purse, adoption custody decrees, social security numbers, employment records, family photos, important books, personal family historic documents, and family genealogy records.

There are of course other documents that you might think are essential, so this is not an extensive list.

With all of that being said, let us finally take a deep dive into these ten documents that you are most likely to need should an emergency occur:

Wills And Trusts

Wills And Trusts

It is important that you have a copy of your will in your survival kit as this piece of paper will help in the case of your untimely death. It ensures that should tragedy strike your property will be distributed as you will it to be.

Real Estate Deeds

You should have a copy of your home deed, business, mortgage notes, and a chain of title documents. This ensures that you have proof on hand that you own a property and what happens to that property should you pass away.

It is always a handy set of documents to have on hand should there be an emergency.

Family Health And Medical Records

You should have a full set of documents detailing everything that is on the medical records of you and your family.

This includes documentation of allergy information, medication lists, immunization records and anything else that you can think of.

It is essential to have all of this on hand should something happen to any member of your family. It will allow medics or doctors to administer first aid without putting your life in danger because they do not know about a peanut allergy.

Birth, Marriage And Death Certificates

The importance of having these documents on hand in an emergency cannot be overstated. They will prove very useful when you need to prove who you are and where you are a citizen of.

The same can be said for marriage or divorce papers. It might be important for authorities to verify your marital status and other information that this kind of documentation would provide.

Citizenship Papers

If you have immigrated to a country and have achieved naturalization or citizenship you may need to consider making a copy of these importation documents so that if something happens and those documents are lost or destroyed you still have evidence that you have achieved the status of citizen.

This can expedite the process of getting those important documents replaced.

Passports Or Visas

Passport

By having copies of your passport, driver license or visa you will be able to quickly start the process of replacing these important documents in the case that tragedy strikes and they are destroyed or lost.

Funeral And Burial Plans

Obviously if you were to pass away without warning you would need to have any documentation that details what plans you have for your funeral.

This kind of information is just a nice thing to have on hand should the worst happen.

Microchip Number Of Your Pet

If you are a pet owner you might find it very helpful to have the microchip number of your pet noted down and stored along with your other emergency documents.

By having this key piece of information you will always have the information you need should your dog go missing in an emergency.

Bank, Checking, Savings Account Numbers Or Certificates

It is a good idea to have copies of your banking information.

By having copies of your bank statements and copies of your credit or debit card on hand you increase the likelihood that you will have access to your money should disaster strike and you love all of the original documents.

Family Memorabilia

Family Memorabilia

It might seem silly, but in the case that everything in your home is destroyed you might find that you need to have any family photos or other documents on hand that cannot be replaced.

SO, make sure that you have some copies of photos of your family, copies of any genealogy documentation, and anything else that you are certain that you want to preserve should everything in your home is destroyed in a disaster.

How Should You Store Your Emergency Docs?

There are a few ways you can go about storing these essential documents. One option is to digitize your documents by making photocopies of them and putting them all on a USB stick or hard drive.

This is a good option but if you do not have if you will have access to a computer to get these documents.

You may also find that a USB or hard drive can get corrupted and you could lose everything very quickly. On top of that you can lose a small USB very easily and you may damage it physically by getting it wet.

The plus point of this method is that all your documents are in one place while also being small and compact.

Another option is to photocopy all your documents and place them in a waterproof folder this will protect them from water damage while also keeping all your documents safe.

The downside of this is that your documents will be more cumbersome and paper has a tendency to face and become damaged when exposed to water.

But, you will always have access to your documents regardless of whether there is a computer and electricity.

In the same vein you can also put your documents in a fire-proof container which will protect your documents from any fire damage.

This method means that your documents will once again be quite cumbersome and take up room. You can also easily misplace a key if your box has a lock.

At the end of the day it is up to you how to store your emergency documents. Just make sure to have them all in one place and readily available.

Where Should You Store Your Emergency Docs?

You can store your documents wherever you see fit. However, you will need to know exactly where they are so that you have them on hand when catastrophe strikes.

It is recommended that you place a copy of your documents in a seventy-two-hour kit or with your emergency supplies.

This insures that your documents will be on hand when you need them and reduces the risk of forgetting them when you are in a rush to escape.

The key here is that they need to be in a palace that you can easily grab when you get your emergency stash or kit.

Final Thoughts

We hope that you have enjoyed learning about which emergency docs you will need to survive. It is very important to make sure that you have everything you need when there is an emergency.

Sometimes what you need most is a document you never thought that you’d need. Hopefully this article has helped you get a better idea of what you might need in an emergency and why.

Have a fantastic day and good luck getting your survival kit together!

Tim Roth
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