In Case of Disaster, Save Copies of Vital Documents
New Orleans-based lawyer and author Kimberly Rome has watched as Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters have destroyed homes and lives. To protect from the next storm, it's a good idea to have copies of vital documents stored securely in more than one place.
"My client, she was completely devastated by Sandy," says Rome. "She lost all her documents - there was no way of replacing them."
This blog post is all about how you can store copies of your vital records in secure places like safety deposit boxes or online so they're accessible if disaster strikes.
As Rome explains in this post, the best strategy is to keep at least two copies of your vital documents in case one copy is destroyed or inaccessible. "Have one set at home and keep the other set somewhere else - a safety deposit box or a friend's place, maybe," she says.
The post offers tips for how to protect your information and what documents you should back up:
Driver's License: Carry an extra copy of your driver's license in your wallet that includes a photocopy of both sides of your license. Photocopy the front and back of all other cards you carry as well.
Immigration and Naturalization: Carry two photocopies of your immigration card (green card) and your naturalization card.
Social Security Card: Carry two photocopies of your Social Security cards. Include a photocopy of both sides of your driver's license.
Credit Cards: Carry two copies of all credit and debit cards including the front and back as well as one copy at home in a safe place in case they are stolen or lost. Store the other copy at home or another secure location such as a safety deposit box, another family member's house, or in an online account. There are various online storage sites such as Box.com or DropBox and there is a good article at the New York Times on the subject.
Insurance Documents: Carry two photocopies of all your insurance cards. Include a photocopy of both sides of your driver's license. You should carry at least one copy of your car insurance and homeowners policies as well as any other similar documents that might include lost credit card numbers, names or addresses.
Rome's advice: If you can't afford to have several copies of important documents at home, make sure you take photos with your phone and keep them somewhere safe that will be easy to access in an emergency. "Be sure all those photos are there," Rome advises. "If you lose your phone, that's probably your most important document."
The legal title of this article is "In Case of Disaster, Save Copies of Vital Documents".
You may use it provided that you do not alter it and acknowledge the author as "Kimberly Rome" via copyright note which can be given in the "copyright notice" in the bottom left corner.
2011 December 25.pdf tornado.pdf cars.pdf insurance.pdf lawyer.pdf snowbird.pdf storm-disaster-preparation-tips.pdf
A "Snowbird" is a Canadian citizen who moves south for the winter season.
In 2012, Canada suffered exceptionally long and extremely cold winters with abnormal snowfall accumulations.
In Ontario, Canada an elderly man slipped on ice and broke his hip, he suffered immediate and rapid onset of complications which I was called upon to attend to (2013 December 9).
The following are the medical events which occurred in this case:
Auto Accident: a woman ran into a telephone pole.(2012 November 16)
Auto Accident: A woman's car was broadsided by a pickup truck at an intersection. (2012 November 16)
Auto Accident: A woman was injured in a single car accident and suffered immediate onset of acute renal failure. (2012 November 15)
Both victims suffered broken bones and have been hospitalized.
Medical negligence: a patient was prescribed the wrong medication.(2012 November 14)
Medical negligence: a nurse misbriefed a physician; the result was that the physician prescribed an inappropriate antibiotic which caused an adverse allergic reaction.(2012 October 22)
Elder abuse: a domestic violence situation occurred between an adult child and his elderly father who suffers from dementia. The situation escalatated to where the son actually struck his father, who also sustained broken bones in this incident. (2012 October 13)
Medical Negligence: A father and his infant child were injured in a head-on collision.(2012 October 12)
Tornadoes: (2011 December 26 - December 27)
Nurse struck by car: (2011 November 9)
Medical negligence: A mother and her infant child were involved in an automobile accident. The mother sustained a broken leg; the infant suffered constipation, which was not diagnosed and treated until it was too late. Neither victims life was in danger; the mother recovered; but the infant died.(2010 November 10)
Medical negligence: A woman was given a medication which caused her to have an adverse reaction, including death. (2010 October 2)
Medical negligence: A patient received the wrong medication, which caused an adverse reaction. (2010 August 20)
Auto Accident: A woman was struck by another car. Her injuries were not life-threatening.(2009 December 24)
Fatal auto accident: A mother and her newborn baby died in a two vehicle accident. (2009 October 7)
Medical Negligence: An elderly woman suffered a stroke which could have been prevented if she had received the correct treatment at the correct time. She pleaded with her treating physician to administer a clot-busting blood thinner to treat her heart attack, but was told that doing so might kill her. (2009 September 28). Her death occurred 8 hours later at the hospital.
Medical negligence: A patient was given the wrong medication which caused an adverse reaction. (2009 June 30)
Fire: An elderly man died in a fire in his home. (2008 December 13)
Suicide: A young boy committed suicide by hanging himself.(2008 December 7)
Medical Negligence: A young woman was diagnosed with appendicitis, but she did not receive prompt medical treatment, and peritonitis resulted. She died.(2008 November 20)
Medical negligence: An elderly woman received an incorrect diagnosis of pneumonia. She would have been treated for pneumonia and recovered with the correct diagnosis, but instead she suffered a myocardial infarction, and died.(2008 October 8)
Medical negligence: A young mother developed an infection of her heart valve which killed her. (2008 October 7)
Car accident: A pregnant woman was injured in an automobile accident. She suffered a fractured leg, and was given medication to help her relax as well as pain medication. Unfortunately, the pain medication caused complications which led to a miscarriage.(2007 December 23)
The baby she lost was later born prematurely at 25 weeks gestation weighing only 1 lb 11 oz (0.872 kg). He survived only 8 hours.
Conclusion: The cause of death was sepsis caused by the medication she was given to ease the pain.
Medical Negligence: Two patients̢۪ conditions deteriorated rapidly, and they were both treated with a treatment which had no effect on either patient. Both died. (2007 November 14)
Medical Negligence: A woman developed a viral infection which progressed to sepsis, causing an adverse reaction. (2007 October 16)
The patient died as a result of the severe shock caused by the infection.(2007 October 2)
Medical Negligence: A woman with acute onset of pulmonary edema was treated as if she had pneumonia when she did not have pneumonia.