Checklist of important documents

Do you have?

• Copies of council rates, rental agreement, and utilities – these are required for grants and additional supports
• Copies of birth and marriage certificates
• Copies of Passport, Visa and Citizenship papers
• Copies of Driving Licence and Medicare card
• Copy of your Will and any estate information
• Medical information such as prescriptions (name of medication and dosage), medical records, health insurance, doctors’ names and phone numbers
• Photo Identification
• Copies of qualifications or confirmation of assessments completed
• Copies of insurance documents
• Current photos of how your house, sheds, fencing, car or items look - preferably with a date stamp
• Copies of bank statements, credit card and bank account numbers, your last two tax returns, superannuation documents
• Mortgage documents or rental agreement or lease
• List of friends and contacts, including who can assist you in an emergency
• Cash! You cannot be guaranteed power or EFTPOS machines will be available and, in several situations, cash is required to pay for fuel, food, toiletries or accommodation
• Phone charger
• Phone charger hub (allow multiple charges at once)
• Back up battery charger
• Spare clothing

Where to keep the storage bag

• Easily accessible at home
• With family or a trusted friend who will possibly not be impacted by the same disaster
• In a secure storage locker
• External hard drive (or USB)
• Cloud storage

Sentimental items

Some things may not be worth a lot of money, but they mean a lot and can’t be replaced. Family heirlooms, photographs, cards or artwork can be important to you. It’s a good idea to take photographs of these things and scan them electronically, but also email them to yourself or store them in the Cloud. These images can help organisations identify what you’ve lost.

What sentimental items would you want to keep safe in a disaster?

As sad as it is to lose sentimental items, good memories can never be taken away.