Vital Records Protection for Families
Emergencies can occur at any time. They can be confined to a small area or cause destruction over a large area of the state or country.
Planning now for how your family will respond to emergencies large and small can increase your safety and even reduce the amount of time it takes to return to normal in the aftermath. For important information on personal preparedness for all emergencies, please consult readync.org.
When planning for emergencies, remember to include protection of vital records as part of your response plan. Among other things, vital records can protect your rights, secure your health, and document your financial assets. Identifying the types of documents you have is the first step in protecting them.
Types of records
Essential records are those you would need immediately after an emergency, particularly if you
have to evacuate your home at a moment’s notice. Essential records may include:
- Birth certificate
- Medical records
- Social Security card
- Driver’s license or other identification
- Insurance records
- Bank account information
- Contracts or leases
- Pet records
- Backups of important computer records
High-risk records are those that protect your financial and legal assets. While they may be duplicated elsewhere, including at government offices, a loss of these
records from all sources would prove severe. They may include:
- Legal records (such as adoptions, divorce settlements, child support and alimony records)
- Property deeds
- Leases
- Marriage certificate
- Military service records
- Mortgage records
- Motor vehicle titles
- Passport
- Will and estate records
- Investment records
- Diplomas and other educational certificates
- Income tax records
- Documentation of household goods
Historically important records are items that are irreplaceable to your or your family. They may include:
- Family documents
- Bibles
- Letters
- Memorabilia
- Photographs
- Scrapbooks
The following guidelines will help protect your family records:
- Before an emergency, determine which records are essential, high risk, and
historically important to you and your family. - Make duplicates of your vital records and store them in a safe place outside of your
home. Some people utilize both paper and electronic duplicates. - Regardless of format, duplicates must be refreshed as the originals change. Electronic storage devices must be tested regularly to be sure they haven’t failed and your electronic files are accessible.
- Create an inventory of record types and note how they are protected and/or duplicated. Review the list regularly and make sure that the most recent copies of each item are protected.
- Create a "grab and go" folder or box containing your records and put it somewhere you can access quickly in case of an emergency.
- Historically important family records often are irreplaceable. Protection of these items will depend on the quantity and format of the originals. Some items may need to be part of your "grab and go" pack. While you always want to protect the originals, you may not be able to take all items with you in an emergency. Making duplicate images of some
valuable documents and images would at least preserve copies of the originals.
Contact us
For more information on protecting your vital records, contact Camille Hunt, Collections Management Branch Head at the State Archives of North Carolina, at (919) 814-6968 or camille.hunt@dncr.nc.gov.
Sample personal record inventory
| Individual | Record Type | Institution | Contact Info | Account Number | Document Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You | Homeowners Insurance | ||||
| Auto Insurance | |||||
| Medical Insurance | |||||
| Dental Insurance | |||||
| Vision Insurance | |||||
| Life Insurance | |||||
| Partner/Spouse | Auto Insurance | ||||
| Medical Insurance | |||||
| Dental Insurance | |||||
| Vision Insurance | |||||
| Life Insurance | |||||
| Child | Auto Insurance | ||||
| Medical Insurance | |||||
| Dental Insurance | |||||
| Vision Insurance | |||||
| Child | Medical Insurance | ||||
| Dental Insurance | |||||
| Vision Insurance |