How do you safeguard your information in case of an emergency?
I have a small fire-safe with the original copies of critical things like my Birth Certificate, Passport, important Trade Qualifications, and medical info. That covers me for when I'm at home, but what about travel, work and such?
I carry a small USB Drive with scanned copies of all of the above in a hidden and encrypted file, as well as a lot of helpful PDF files with information on survival topics such as gardening, cleaning and butchering fish and game, first aid and shelter building, and much more. That covers me while traveling and working, takes up next to no space or weight, and gives me a large amount of invaluable information that can be pulled up on any computer.
My cell phone is a smartphone, it contains all the same information as the USB drive, and is also able to view the survival PDFs. It can also be charged from a very wide variety of sources, including the small solar charger I have.
Finally I have photocopies of the critical documents and a printout of select survival PDFs in a small binder in the car, house and my BOB. These are all concealed.
How do you make sure you don't go without?
This is an issue I think many people overlook.
Personally, I've photocopied some Identification and put it in a safety deposit box along with other I.D. I've memorized (such as S.I.N. Card) and a flash drive with important data. This was put there for safe keeping in the event of a house fire. Other critical documents that I keep at home are kept in B.O.B. of sorts so its all together and easy to grab in the event of a sudden need to evacuate.
I'm still considering a fireproof safe for some things. That will come in time.
For all the important papers that don't reside in my purse, I have them in a small bag that's easy to grab. Passport, SIN card, Birth certificate, House insurance, copy of car insurance, my cat's vet papers, last will and testament and a piece of paper with full contact information for several family members, friends, my doctor, and my lawyer, including someone out of town for coordination issues if I need to.
There's a scanned copy of all the above on a thumb drive which also carries most of my financial records under an encryption.
Finally there's a copy of everything in a sealed envelope at my parents place.
Aphrael
Oh sweetheart, I don't have to run faster than the bear...