The
Electronic
Lockbox
is
our
secure
storage
technology
that
will
allow
you
to
maintain
confidential
information
on
our
VPN
that
is
accessible
from
any
remote
location
in
case
of
emergency.
Use
it to
store
your
private
healthcare
information,
financial
records,
photographs
of
your
children,
web
site
passwords,
credit
card
information,
ordering
information,
etc.
If
more
than
one
person
uses
your
computer,
each
user
can
have
their
own
Electronic
Lockbox
and
each
can
secure
their
own
information.
How
to
Keep
Important
Documents
Safe
Although
no
one
wants
to
dwell
on
the
natural
disasters,
accidents
or
fires
that
can
destroy
your
home
and
everything
in
it,
planning
for
the
worst
can
give
you
peace
of
mind.
And
if
the
worst
were
to
happen,
you'll
be
prepared
to
rebuild
your
life.
There
are
many
ways
to
protect
documents
that
you'd
never
want
to
lose.
Some
people
rent
a
safe
deposit
box
at a
bank;
others
prefer
to
keep
things
at
home
in a
fire-resistant
safe.
What's
best
for
you?
It
depends
how
worried
you
are
about
fire
damage,
water
damage,
theft,
and
accessibility.
Safeguard
Valuables
And
Precious
Memories
Your
home
or
business
can
be
struck
by a
disaster
at
any
time.
It
could
be in
the
form
of a
hurricane,
flash
flood,
earthquake,
tornado,
fire,
or
even
burglary.
Not
only
could
your
furnishings,
valuables,
and
personal
items
be
lost,
damaged,
or
destroyed,
so
can
your
most
important
photos
and
documents.
Even
your
computer
where
you
stored
some
of
this
information
could
be
stolen
or
ruined.
Replacing
your
missing
items
can
become
an
added
nightmare
when
your
insurance
company
asks
for
proof
of
ownership
to
fulfill
your
claim
and
you
don't
have
it.
What
would
you
do if
you
lost
your
only
pictures
of
your
children
when
they
were
babies?
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.
"Basements can be flooded; tornadoes rip the roof off," she says. "You really have to assess the risk for your area." Electronic files also deserve consideration. Many businesses maintain two file copies in different locations, and families should do the same with electronic files and hard copies.
At the very minimum, officials agree that people should keep cash and short, laminated lists of insurance policy numbers, the names of their life insurance agents, and emergency phone numbers in their wallets, as well as ID cards.
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.
Cost: Rental fees start at $20, depending on the size of the 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.
Cost: From $40 for a small fire-resistant box to $2,000+ for a fire-resistant file cabinet.
