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Recovering Financial Records After a Weather Emergency

This guide presents selected U.S. government consumer education from Federal Trade Commission. References to “we” or “us” in the source material refer to the issuing agency. Source dates and links appear below.

How To Get Back on Track After a Weather Emergency

A weather event or disaster may have forced you to leave your home without everyday essentials like your ID, cash, and credit and debit cards. Here are some ideas to help you manage as you get on the road to recovery after a natural disaster.

Getting Started 

The first steps you take after a disaster are crucial to your recovery. To protect your information and finances as you focus on rebuilding, start here.

  • Find out if your home, health, or other insurance policies will pay for temporary shelter, clothing, and other items.
  • Never pay to get government assistance. If someone wants money to help you qualify for FEMA funds or a grant, it’s a scam. Don’t pay; report them.
  • Ask your insurance company about the next steps in assessing any damage to your home, belongings, or business.
  • Never pay for repairs in full until the work is completed, and you’re satisfied with the job. Avoid scammers who show up claiming to offer recovery services, but demand cash or advance payments.
  • Read about other disaster-related scams to avoid losing money that could help you rebuild.

Managing Your Money

In the aftermath of a disaster, having access to your money and benefits is crucial to help you recover. Take these steps to help you reorganize and get control of your finances.

  • Contact the card issuer if your credit, ATM, or debit cards are lost or stolen. Report the loss and get replacements.
  • Stay in touch with your employer. If your work is closed, or if you can’t go to work, ask if you can keep getting your paycheck and health insurance, and for how long.
  • Reach the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 if you get monthly benefits, or the Veterans Benefits Administration at 1-800-827-1000 if you’re a veteran or a relative who gets VA benefits. Find out how they can make your benefits available if you’re displaced.
  • Contact the U.S. Department of Labor at 1-866-4-USA-DOL to connect with state and local government agencies that issue unemployment insurance and other assistance if you’re out of work.

Managing Your Credit

Your credit impacts your ability to get a loan, insurance, a job, and buy or lease a car. After a disaster, maintaining and having access to your credit will help you recover and rebuild. To try to be sure your credit doesn’t suffer:

  • Get your free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-322-8228. This is especially important if you’ve lost your financial records and need help identifying your creditors.
  • Contact creditors, landlords, and utilities right away. Explain how the weather emergency has affected your finances and ask if they might help. In times of disaster, they may be willing to defer your payments or offer extended repayment plans, extend grace periods, waive late fees, raise your credit limit, or postpone collection, repossessions, and foreclosures.

Replacing Damaged or Lost Documents

If you were displaced by a disaster or had to evacuate, you’ll need to replace any damaged or lost legal documents. Unsure of where to go for what? This chart will get you started. 

Deeds and recorded real estate documents

County Recorder of Deeds

Mortgages and other credit documents

Lender or mortgage servicer

Leases

Landlord or financial company

Insurance policies

Insurance company or agent

Wills

The attorney who prepared them

Checks, savings documents, or investment materials

Bank, credit union, investment company, or your broker

Car title or driver’s license

Your state Department of Motor Vehicles or Secretary of State

Birth certificate

Vital Statistics Office in state where you were born
Social Security card Local Social Security Administration Office
Tax returns IRS or tax office in your state
Other important documents, like contracts or divorce judgments Your personal attorney or the court

For More Information

How To Organize Your Important Papers Before a Disaster Strikes

When it comes to preparing for weather emergencies or other disasters, financial readiness is as important as a flashlight with fully charged batteries. Leaving your home can be stressful, but knowing that your personal and financial documents are up to date, in one place, and easy to find can make a big difference. Here’s how to organize important papers before a disaster strikes.

Do a Household Inventory

Make a list and take pictures or videos of what you own. This can help if you have to file insurance claims. Even if you save your list and pictures on a device, print out copies, too. Also gather important documents and information, like

  • Social Security cards, health insurance cards, and a list of current prescriptions
  • insurance policy numbers and contact information at those companies
  • copies of important financial and family records, including deeds, titles, wills, birth and adoption certificates, marriage certificates, passports, military records, and employee benefit and retirement documents. NOTE: Except for wills, keep original records in a safe deposit box or at some other secure location. If you have a will, ask your attorney to keep the original.
  • ownership records for your home, cars, RVs, or boats
  • a list of bank, loan, credit card, mortgage, debit, and investment account numbers, and contact information for each institution
  • backups of the financial information you keep on your computer
  • information on your pets, like medical, prescription, and vaccination records, along with current photos and ID chip numbers, in case you’re separated

Keep It in a Safe and Convenient Place

Keep your information safe. Here are some options:

Use a lockable, fireproof file box. Put important documents in the box, and keep it in a secure, handy place in your home so you can “grab it and go.” Include some cash, since ATMs or banks may be closed, an extra set of keys for your house and car, and the key to your safe deposit box, if you have one.

Rent a safe deposit box. A safe deposit box can protect documents that are hard to replace, but that you don’t need to use very often.

Take advantage of technology. It can protect important documents while making it easier to get access in an emergency or when you need to update them.

  • Online bill-pay. Paying your bills online lets you stay current, even if you can’t get mail and don’t have your checkbook. Contact your bank for more information.
  • Personal cloud storage. Online storage is available for free with many email accounts. Use your space to upload PDFs of important documents you’ve scanned. Make sure access requires a strong password and multifactor authentication.
  • Virtual safe deposit boxes. Some banks offer this online service to protect documents, photos, and videos. Make sure the data is protected with a strong password and/or multifactor authentication.
  • USB flash drives. Also known as a thumb drive, these portable hard drives offer a lot of storage space in a small package. Copy your important computer files onto the flash drive and keep it with you. You might also want to keep a copy in your safe deposit box or with a friend or relative. Be sure to password protect your flash drive, in case you lose it.
  • Online password manager. Websites and software let you store your usernames and passwords. You have to remember only one master password to access the list.

Update Your Information

Review the contents of your household inventory, fireproof box, and safe deposit boxes, as well as your online and digital storage, at least once a year. Make sure everything is up to date.

For More Information

Sources and publication details

The federal agency source text is U.S. government work in the public domain. Fynoptic selected, adapted, and formatted it for this guide. No agency endorsement is implied. Follow the linked sources for current program details and the rules applicable to your circumstances.

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