Financial Preparedness

April is National Financial Capability Month! Take a moment to make sure you are financially prepared for disasters and emergencies.

Preparedness makes recovery easier

People at all income levels have experienced the challenges of rebuilding their lives after a disaster or other emergency. In these stressful circumstances, having access to personal financial, insurance, medical, and other records is crucial for starting the process of recovery quickly and efficiently. Taking the time now to collect and secure these critical records will give you peace of mind and, in the event of an emergency, will ensure that you have the documentation needed to start the recovery process without delay.

How to Prepare

1. Fill out FEMA's Emergency Financial First Aid Kit and use the checklists to make sure you're financially prepared before disaster strikes.
2. If you can, keep a small amount of cash in your disaster supply kit. During an emergency, ATMs probably will not be working, and financial institutions may be closed.
3. Check your insurance policies annually. Know what your policy covers and expand your coverage as necessary.
4. Keep copies of important documents together in a safe location. You can also consider storing digital copies on cloud storage or elsewhere (make sure you use password protection!). Check out FEMA's guide on how to Safeguard Critical Documents for more information.