Believe it or not, even my work as a professional organizer didn’t prepare me for to evacuate our home during the recent fires. When my fiancée and I left our home only one hour earlier we had no idea that the fire was heading directly into our Canyon Country neighborhood. Once we realized how quickly the inferno was spreading, we frantically drove home to rescue our toy fox terrier, Spike. We watched with horror as our hillsides burned. We had only minutes to grab what we thought was important and flee, but like most people, we had procrastinated in planning just what that was.
Naturally, the first thing we grabbed was our photographs but we simply hadn’t gotten them all situated into one place yet. We each took our laptops and a bunch of clothes and threw them into our cars. What we hadn’t considered in our haste were any papers or files of any kind. With five minutes to retrieve all that was really important, we ran in circles, which brings me to the point of this article. Obviously sentimental items are irreplaceable, but when it comes down to having to deal with reality after a disaster, I know the importance of having vital papers in one place.
Here’s a quick rundown of what papers should be prepared for quick removal. If you can put these into a safe deposit box that’s best. If not, consider a waterproof, fireproof box that sits near an exit. Here are my suggestions:
• A copy of your driver’s license, original passport and social security card
• Original birth certificates (yours, your partner’s, your kids’, etc.)
• Original death certificates
• Original marriage and divorce documents
• Original citizenship papers, visas or green cards
• Home ownership papers (mortgage, deeds, etc.)
• Original pink slips and vehicle ownership documents (for cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, motor homes)
• Medical histories of family members (remember to note allergies, blood types, medication histories and surgeries)
• A list of accounts and policies along with contact information for each company (banks, credit cards, investment houses, insurance companies, etc.)
• The previous year’s tax return
My fiancée and I feel grateful that we escaped unharmed and that our home was spared. Our close call taught us that if we needed to start rebuilding our world it would be so much easier with these papers in our arsenal.
Bob Farkas is The Clutter Wizard, Santa Clarita’s newest professional organizer. His website, www.theclutterwizard.com, has many more organizing tips. He can be reached by email at theclutterwizard@sbcglobal.net or by phone at 661-298-9100.