Floods, fires, historic storms – severe weather events are on the rise. If your home was hit by high water or a fire, would your important papers be safe?
Don’t be unprepared. Here’s what you need to do to protect your important documents.
What you should keep safe
The most important items to keep in a safe place are those difficult to replicate, including documents that prove identity, legal process or ownership.
If you’d have to call a government agency to process a replacement, you probably want to store it somewhere where it can stay damage-free.
You should also consider what you’d need to access if a disaster strikes.
Here are some items to consider:
- Birth, adoption, death, marriage and divorce certificates
- Passports
- Property documents about your home or rental properties, mortgage or lease, and vehicles
- Pet ownership paperwork
- Paper stock and bond certificates
- Health records, health insurance information and disability documentation
- Estate planning documents (powers of attorney, wills, advance directives and trust agreements)
- Property insurance documents, including policy numbers and declaration pages
- Tax records
- Financial statements (loans, credit cards, banks, retirement accounts and investment accounts), as well as income records (pay stubs and government benefits)
- Copies of driver’s licenses and other IDs, health insurance cards and credit cards
- Family photos or heirlooms
Store copies in the cloud
“It’s also a good idea to keep scans of your critical documents, as well as backups of all your computer files on a storage device at a separate location, or in the cloud,” says Pete Duncanson from ServiceMaster Restore, a restoration service company.
In some cases, a copy of a document will suffice in an emergency. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep the original – but if you lose the original, you may be able to get by with your digital copy.
You can take a photo, scan a document or create a PDF of an online statement, and use a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox for storage.
If you use an external drive, keep that somewhere safe as well.
The video you should make
If you need to file an insurance claim, your insurer will need proof of what you own.
Keeping a record of your things is tedious – but you probably have a smartphone with a camera.
“Start from the front door, turn on the video camera and take a quick two-minute walk around your house,” says Sev Tamayo, an agent with Goosehead Insurance in Florida.
“Save it on the cloud.”
Do this once a year. Let your insurance renewal be your cue or set a calendar reminder – and refresh it when you’ve made a major purchase or renovation.
Where to keep your documents
Store important documents in a container that makes the most sense for your particular risks to prepare for the unexpected. Here are some options:
Fireproof safe: You can get a fireproof safe box for under $50, but keep in mind that they come in a variety of sizes and temperature ratings. Some are waterproof. Some are more portable than others. Putting items into a zip-close bag or waterproof container inside a fireproof safe can provide double protection.
Safe deposit box: A safe deposit box at a bank can weather several events. But don’t put anything there that you might need in a hurry – such as a passport for a last-minute trip – or anything someone would need in the event of your death, such as your estate documents.
“If a family member isn’t on the box, that box has to go through full-blown probate just to get stuff out of the box,” says Patrick Simasko, an estate planning attorney at Simasko Law in Michigan.
Plastic bin: At the very least, you can put important documents in a watertight plastic bin on a high shelf.
“It’s not going to protect you from fire, but it can protect the paperwork from smoke damage and a burst pipe or flooding incident,” says Adam Lyszczarz from restoration company Prism Specialties in Michigan.
Fridge or freezer: Putting your documents in a plastic zip-close bag in your refrigerator or freezer can protect them, although it’s not a long-term solution.
“They are watertight and the cool temperatures will ensure that things don’t burn, but after a while, they could begin to mould,” Mr Lyszczarz says.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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