Are you prepared for the next natural disaster to strike? According to Statista, 2023 was a historic year for natural disasters in the U.S. Eighty-nine severe natural disasters caused over $1 billion in damage around the country. 

Don’t get caught unprepared by such events. Start protecting your important documents from damage and loss. We’ll outline some measures you must take to protect your documents from natural disasters. 

Key Takeaways  

• Protect your documents from physical damage by using water and fireproof safes and climate-controlled storage units.
   

• Keep digital copies of your documents stored with a secure digital vault like Trustworthy.
   

• Should your documents get damaged, hire a professional document recovery service. 

Use Fireproof and Waterproof Safes for Document Storage

When dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster, the last thing you want to worry about is your documents and what to do if they’re damaged and lost. 

By protecting your documents, you can focus on other things, like ensuring your safety, as well as that of your family and property. 

Documents you should protect include: 

• Business files

• Financial documents and account numbers 

• Identity documents 

• Insurance documents 

• Documents that contain your Social Security number 

• Diploma or military certificates 

• Medical records 

• Estate planning documents like trusts, deeds, and wills  

• Passports 

• Tax records 

• Copies of licenses (driver's or marriage) 

• Inventory of household items for insurance purposes 

Fireproof and waterproof safes are designed to withstand the impacts of earthquakes, flooding, and hurricanes. When disasters hit, electricity can quickly become one of your biggest enemies, as it poses a serious fire hazard.  

Protect your documents from fire damage and water damage that comes from firefighting methods with a fireproof safe. Choose one with a UL rating to withstand temperatures of up to 1,150° F to 1,850° F. 

There are also waterproof safes you can choose from that are built to withstand flood waters for a longer period of time. To ensure your safety and protect your documents from flood waters, check out the ETL rating. 

Not only are these safes waterproof and fireproof, but they’re also built with durable materials that can withstand the impact of falling objects, including falling buildings during an earthquake.  

Store Important Documents Digitally for Easy Access

While waterproof and fireproof safes protect your documents from some degree of damage from natural disasters, there is no 100% guarantee that they will not get damaged. 

Protect your documents from physical damage by creating online digital copies for easy access. 

Digital copies of your documents can be easily stored on cloud storage platforms like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox. Simply use your phone’s scanner app to scan your documents and save them as PDF files. For greater security and ease of use, however, Trustworthy's Family Operating System® is a great alternative. Its advanced digital storage capabilities make protecting your documents during a natural disaster much simpler.

To safeguard your documents from online dangers, Trustworthy has impressive security features like 256-bit AES encryption, biometric authentication, tokenization, and two-factor authentication while remaining compliant with data privacy regulations. 

Just because you store your documents out of reach from natural disasters doesn’t mean they don’t need to be organized for easy access. Keeping your documents organized is easy, thanks to Trustworthy’s automated document analysis, filing recommendations, and auto filing. 

Store Physical Copies in Offsite Locations

Minimize the chances of your important documents being damaged or lost while on your property by storing physical copies in offsite locations. 

Start by making copies of your documents and saving them in safety deposit boxes at your local bank or financial union. These boxes can cost anywhere from $15 to $300 per month to rent and come with spare keys, so you’ll still have access if disaster strikes. There’s nothing stopping you from storing your documents in multiple offsite locations in different areas to lower the risk of them getting damaged.  

You can even share physical copies of your documents with people that you trust, like family members and legal representatives. But if you’re looking for a more reliable storage solution, choose Trustworthy. Storing your document copies digitally with a digital safe deposit box ensures that your documents are safe from physical damage and can be accessed from any location.

Use Climate-Controlled Storage Units for Document Safety   

One thing many people overlook when storing their documents in things like waterproof containers, waterproof safes, and fireproof safes is temperature and humidity. If you live in a particularly humid or hot area, moisture can build inside your storage solution, which can, in turn, result in water damage, mold, and mildew.

It’s not just humidity levels you need to worry about, as high temperatures can cause paper to become brittle and curl, which can eventually cause the documents to deteriorate.  

Using a climate-controlled storage unit means that your documents are kept at an ideal temperature of 55°F and 85°F. This is done using air conditioners and dehumidifiers.  

While climate-controlled storage units are an excellent way to guarantee that the correct temperatures are maintained, they may not be in everyone’s budget. A DIY solution for this is to place a couple of bricks of charcoal or silica gel packets inside your waterproof container to absorb the moisture in the air.  

Seal Documents in Waterproof and Fireproof Bags 

Storing your documents in a safe is all well and good until you need to evacuate the premises for safety. Lugging a safe is not a practical or safe solution, so you’ll need to pack a portable emergency kit that includes the critical documents that you may need on hand.

Seal your documents in waterproof and fireproof bags. Waterproof bags can even include Ziploc bags you likely have at home already. To prevent a buildup of moisture in the bags, you can pop a silica gel packet inside. 

Store your portable emergency kit somewhere above ground-level flooding, like on a shelf, and make sure that all family members know where to find it.  

Use Document Recovery Services After a Disaster

Sometimes, despite all your best efforts, your documents may still be damaged or lost after a disaster. Because document recovery can be a delicate process, you should leave it to the professionals and hire a document recovery service to retrieve your information.

While you may think it’s easy enough to just air dry your wet documents, this can cause problems like the development of mold, distortion, or dried pages sticking together. 

Instead of just letting documents air dry, document recovery services typically use the following methods to recover your documents: 

• Freeze drying 

• Vacuum freeze-drying (sublimation) 

• Sanitizing

• Compression 

7. Create an Emergency Plan for Document Evacuation

Preparing for a natural disaster means planning for a fast document evacuation. 

When writing your emergency plan, you should outline where and how you store your documents. Describe where the documents are stored and how to access them. Avoid storing your documents somewhere that’s difficult to reach or too heavy to carry in a hurry. 

Your emergency plan should also include an inventory of what documents are stored and where, so you’re not rushing around at the last minute looking for scraps of paper everywhere. 

Make sure that all family members know and understand your emergency plan. To do this, you can store your emergency plan safely with Trustworthy’s secure platform. The collaboration features allow you to share access with family members and define their roles, so everyone is in the know-how even when you update your plan. 

Regularly Update Digital Documents

In addition to sorting digital copies of your documents on cloud storage platforms, you must carry out routine updates to ensure all your documents have been uploaded. This includes checking if your medical, financial, and insurance details are updated.

Journalist Erin Gobler advises: “You should ensure your current coverage is enough to rebuild your home and replace all of your personal property in the event of a personal loss. You should also make sure you have the types of coverages specifically needed for hurricanes: flood insurance and windstorm insurance.”

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I protect documents from both water and fire?  

One of the best ways to protect your documents from both fire and water damage is by using a dual water and fireproof safe.

Should I make digital copies of all my important documents?

Yes, this is strongly recommended. Store your digital copies with a secure digital vault like Trustworthy. 

Can insurance help cover the cost of document recovery or replacement?

This will depend entirely on what kind of coverage your insurance policy offers, as most home insurance policies don’t cover this. There are data recovery coverage options you can choose from for an additional cost.