Document Package Phone Numbers

[ShannonB]

J - check out this thread. Mil did a great job on the list and shamefully, i am still not finished!

http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=22614.msg324967#msg324967

[blackhawk542]

Someone may have already cover this someplace else, but here are a few things to consider. The contact information for the state that you may have been born in to replace birth certificates, also the contact information for replacement marrige license. The only reason I mention this is incase your documents were destoyed in a encounter with nature (tornado, hurricane, wildfire). You may be away from your home when things happen and would need to replace them while trying to sort through the wreckage. Also if you contact your county courthouse they may be willing to record the documents in their records which will make things easier. Just an idea...

[Ponce]

Do as Gaboy says, I already done it that way.......also......make more than one list and keep it at different places, you never know where you will end up at and you just might loose the one with you.

[pokeshell]

A place to board your pets if a bugout means not going some place pet friendly

Wow, that is a fantastic business idea.

[Hootie]

A lot of things are done on-line and the number and complexity of user id's and passwords can be daunting to remember for 10 or 20 sites.  I would suggest having the account numbers, user id and passwords for these sites available with a simple code (ie. add two digits or letters to each number or letter written down).... If you are hurt and you are the one who does the banking in the family, this information could be very important to help your wife do the necessary business of the family.  And all she needs is how to work the simple code.

I am kind of security conscious, but have lots of loggins for web sites. my passwords are those imposible to remember kinds, like $fgT5i&oyt. But after a good friend passed away, his parents and i spent 3 weeks trying to put his finances in order (a year later they are still trying to sort things out). After that I setup my logins in password management app (Lastpass).

[AngusBangus]

+1 to portableapps.com and a few more suggestions that I'm doing with my on personal family emergency plan files/stick.

Create a bootable USB stick [removes need to have access to a functioning hard drive - only a functioning motherboard/screen], load portable apps on the stick including a productivity suite like OpenOffice, a media player like VLC, and anything else you might want available at portableapps.com [removes need for software local to CPU], as well as PDFs of your important documents and electronic versions of your hard-copy emergency plan (maps/phone numbers/etc). You could also use this stick to keep all your prepper library, the old episodes of TSP, and other super-whamodyne downloads available to the MSB if you've joined. A 16GB stick is enough to keep audio/video for days and enough PDFs to fill up a large library - your on little electronic ant hill. 2 is 1, 1 is none... so clone the thing once you're done.

If you are loading sensitive items (PDFs of SSN cards, IDs, Credit cards, etc.), you can also encrypt the drive with TrueCrypt (http://www.truecrypt.org/) so it's basically uselss gack to anyone who doesn't have the key. You can even encrypt a hidden partition or file within the encrypted disk so you can give up your level 1 encryption key and no one will be the wiser that there is more data there. Keep some non-sensitive info on the root of the drive to avert the eyes of a would-be interrogator. Think of it like an electronic "throw away gun" that you would hand to authorities.

[nature]

 Howdy all, 1st timer into the forum. Funny, I just started to work on this the other day. I keep a "file" on my wife, myself and all the kids. In that "file I keep a copy of birth certificate, current pictures, fingerprints, a blood sample for dna. A medical write up on each including but not limited to; height, weight , hair and eye color etc. List of past medical history, any conditions and what the treatment/ meds are. Along with the usual phone numbers I have xeroxed copies of soc. sec. cards, drivers lic. school Id. cards. I have about a page of descriptive writing on each person detailing characteristics, habits hobbies/interests and anything else I can think of that will help others find/Identify my loved ones should that unfortunate need arise. I hope this helps somebody to be more prepared.

[Wild Colonial Boy]

Samson, thanks for posting this, I am just using your basic list there to start my phone list! I was looking on the main podcast site, and could not find a list of things that should go in the document package. Does anyone know if there was a show that went into the doc package in more depth, or if there's another thread that does or something?
Thanks

Samson and Jcrev,

FYI, Jack has put together a number of podcasts over the years covering off on documentation if your still looking for information.  Podcasts worth checking out include:

Episode 28 - The Importance of Documentation of Survival and Evacuation Plans
Episode 124 - Overlooked Items for the Bug Out Bag
Episode 148 - Bug Out Planning and Documentation
Episode 171 - Getting Started Moving from Grasshopper to Ant
Episode 283 - Emergency Vehicle Preparations
Episode 298 - Starting the Journey from Grasshopper to Ant
Episode 356 - Getting Started From Zero the How and Why

Hope this helps you and anyone else out there that is struggling with this critical preparedness task.

[ChadK]

For digital files I use some software I wrote.  I have scanned copies of birth certificates, drivers licenses, a keepass database with all my web passwords, financials, etc.  It's all encrypted and compressed and I carry it with me always at least on a micro sd card and with other copies spread out (cell phone memory card, thumb drive, dropbox). 

I needed something that was quick and secure but didn't find anything.  Being a developer it was a fun project to do, and useful.  I run it once a week (takes about 5 minutes) and replace all my copies.

I have a company writing software so I have no time to pursue this as a money maker, just want to offer it up for other SP'ers to use:
http://pathware.net/?page_id=27

[ChadK]

Just thought of something else to include (didn't see it anywhere previously, sorry if i missed it)...current photos of the kids in case we need it.  Sad we need to think like that...

[SmartLikeTruck]

Should be able to copy & paste right into spreadsheet to get started quick.
What I gleaned so far for the contact list and a couple of my own additions.

Police
Wildfire
Fire
Hospital
Red cross
Poison control
Dentist
Doctor
Pharmacy
Insurance companies
Roofer
Septic service
Hvac
Plumber
Electrician
Tree service
Glass
Gas company
Electric company
Water company
Telephone company
Bank
Credit card
School
Work
Weather
Road conditions
Kennel
Veterinarian
Auto club
Accommodations
Family
Friends
Neighbours
Lawyer
Bail bondsman

[SmartLikeTruck]

On the subject of kids photos, if you have a trail camera pointed at the house, you have a record of what kids/spouse were wearing when they left the house.

Also vehicle make, model and plate numbers.

[ib71]

I copy important info onto waterproof map paper that you can use in laser printer. It is waterproof and foldable about $50 for 25 sheets.

[idelphic]

Should be able to copy & paste right into spreadsheet to get started quick.
What I gleaned so far for the contact list and a couple of my own additions.

Police
<...>
Bail bondsman

Nice list SLT , but Bail Bondsman?  Interesting to start with the Police,.. and end the list with needing bail.. LOL - I'll have to ponder on that a bit.

On the subject of kids photos, if you have a trail camera pointed at the house, you have a record of what kids/spouse were wearing when they left the house.

Also vehicle make, model and plate numbers.

Hmm.. Interesting idea.  I can see the use, but I can also see where it's not possible.  There isn't any place to post a game / trail camera in my front yard that wouldn't be seen every day.  Almost every trip we make uses the garage as the exit point - mainly since we normally have the cars in the garage.  But we are also one of the few states that does not require / issue front license plates.  So there is a 50/50 chance to get that information.

Good thought though.

I copy important info onto waterproof map paper that you can use in laser printer. It is waterproof and foldable about $50 for 25 sheets.

Uhm - Holy Cow??  $50 for 25 sheets..  I hope that is 11x17" paper..  that is way way to costly...  While I would love to use that type of paper... that is just not within the operational budget. 

I have heard that many people spray maps or papers with polyurethane to accomplish the same thing.  Another project that I have been meaning to do.

Good information ffor thought though.

[AngusBangus]

I have heard that many people spray maps or papers with polyurethane to accomplish the same thing.  Another project that I have been meaning to do.

Great idea!

A bit off-topic, but only kinda since I include maps as a significant part of my document package...
I picked up 4 updated copies of the "Mississippi Official Highway Map" (1 for each vehicle and one for home/office) from the county tax collectors office the other day for a total of $0.00 (if you don't include the property taxes I paid this year). A good spray down with some polyurethane would be a great add to allow using a grease pencil for routes and provide some water-proofing.

[Fusilier]

I have always made colour photocopies of all my wallet cards (credit, library, store affinity cards, driver's license, etc.) and kept one envelope hidden away in my car. I started doing this primarily when traveling on vacation in case the primary documents got lost. This year instead of paper copies, I made colour scans of these documents and produced a single PDF file complete with password protection, and I just loaded it onto my iPod. I'm sure it would work with any smart phone if you like.

I like the suggestions above on building a portable flash drive with your data on it as well. Perhaps once I get my home paper binder in order.

Also, since I use a Mac and an iPod, I'll be building my emergency phone list in the Mac's address book. My plan is to just print the entire address book onto paper for the emergency binder. If a contact/phone number is important enough to have for emergency use, then it is important enough to be in my iPod which I have with me all the time. If I could synch my address book to my old non-smart phone, I'd do that too but for now it isn't practical to hand enter every single phone number in my address book into my old phone.

[doublehelix]

I copy important info onto waterproof map paper that you can use in laser printer. It is waterproof and foldable about $50 for 25 sheets.

Nice tip.  I just ordered a ream to copy my contact list onto.

[ChEng]

dont forget the number for 911!  lol

Great idea!  Do you happen to know their number for the Pittsburgh area?

All kidding aside, there are (IIRC) a few areas inside the U.S. that are not covered by Emergency 911 service (and don't forget that VOIP services (such as Skype, Vonage and others) do not go directly to the real 911 system.  Also, there are some areas outside the U.S. that do not have an equivalent.  Write down your local emergency numbers, if they are not covered under the 911 number.

[pokeshell]

Nice list SLT , but Bail Bondsman?  Interesting to start with the Police,.. and end the list with needing bail.. LOL

I bet they carry a gun on a regular basis. I keep a list attorneys in my wallet, and also listed with the emergency numbers in our kitchen. My attorney works as my bail bondsman.

The last thing I want is my wife figuring out what attorney does what while I am sittin' in jail. She knows we keep 2 on retainer One is for our businesses, and the other is for trouble. The only time I used the "trouble atty" was when my car was towed at midnight (we had paid and had proof, so figured they would give car back). But I still ended up at the impound lot with 2 handguns(My wife gave me hers so we could not both get arested for gun possession), 4 police and about 100 no guns allowed signs. I was at that point in a bad neighborhood, with no trunk to lock them in. The police were on my side, and never hassled about the guns.

I started the night in a very upscale sushi restaurant, and ended filing a stolen car report.

2 of the tow truck employees had open warrents, and got arrested. I got my car back, no fines paid. (We also got $400 in gift certificates from the owner of the car lot for local restaurants he owned).  His kid was in charge of pickling up the envelopes from the lot, and ours dropped between the seats. He found it back at the office, but by then, the car was already towed.

[cbowseriii]

Would it be better to have it on a flash drive or print it off?

[FrugalFannie]

Would it be better to have it on a flash drive or print it off?

Both. 2 is 1, 1 is none. Paper is susceptible to moisture, fire, etc., digital record may not be accessible.

[Crazy Fox]

There is some great advice in this thread!

I built a document package for my car this weekend and included all the basics (copies of license, permits, passports, birth certificate, SELECTIVE SERVICE REGISTRATION etc.) plus a complete list of all my account numbers which I "encrypted" using excel.

As far as emergency numbers, might I suggest numbers for local government information resources? I added the CO National Guard, CO Emergency Management Division, and the local FEMA office [I know the tin foil hat brigade will probably cringe at that last one  ]

[AngusBangus]

There is some great advice in this thread!

I built a document package for my car this weekend and included all the basics (copies of license, permits, passports, birth certificate, SELECTIVE SERVICE REGISTRATION etc.) plus a complete list of all my account numbers which I "encrypted" using excel.

As far as emergency numbers, might I suggest numbers for local government information resources? I added the CO National Guard, CO Emergency Management Division, and the local FEMA office [I know the tin foil hat brigade will probably cringe at that last one  ]

I assume a DD-214 would suffice in place of selective service? Are you draft age?

[Crazy Fox]

I assume a DD-214 would suffice in place of selective service? Are you draft age?

I would include your DD-214, if only so that you have a record of it on the off chance you lose the original or need to prove your history at some point. I figure the more documentation you have available, the better.

Yes, I am of draft age so I figured my Selective Service Number is a good thing to hold on to. That reminds me, I'd better update my address info with Uncle Sam!

[idelphic]

I assume a DD-214 would suffice in place of selective service? Are you draft age?

Angus - Would you know if you can get a replacement DD214?  I'm sure I have mine..  but curious.

[bartsdad]

Angus - Would you know if you can get a replacement DD214?  I'm sure I have mine..  but curious.

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/about-service-records.html

[AngusBangus]

Angus - Would you know if you can get a replacement DD214?  I'm sure I have mine..  but curious.

The link above will get you to the federal records. The VA in the state of your home of record should have also received one. That might be easier for you to get.

[idelphic]

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/about-service-records.html

The link above will get you to the federal records. The VA in the state of your home of record should have also received one. That might be easier for you to get.

Thanks Guys,..  In the mail / order / fax it goes.  Been needing to get it completed..

[AshenChore]

I've been using KeePass to store information.  It is free.  (http://keepass.info/) You can keep it on a flash drive and print out the info right from the application.

It isn't meant as an address book but I am using it like one.  What is nice about it: small application, creates an encrypted database, you only ever have to remember one password to access all your other passwords.

It allows you to enter web site addresses and user names and passwords, then with a few shortcut keys built in it will open web sites and enter your logon info for you.  It does keep passwords **** over by default.

TrueCrypt is nice too, as mentioned in an earlier post, and it is free.  I use that also.  It will allow plausible deniability by never changing the created and modified date of the storage file even after modifying files kept in it.

One more security mention for passwords, it has been shown that stringing together four common words into a single string, like: dinosaurhookglassshoe, is as secure as using a mixed set of characters, like: 63!ng6@d, and easier to remember so you don't always have to look up your passwords from file.

Best Regards
Ashen

[Hurricane]

Somthing I did not notice in the various lists of documents is a detailed work history.
Not just your resume, but all the names, addresses, etc. of everywhere you have ever worked.
Also the last known status of the company. I have a discouraging percentage which are closed, sold, vanished, etc.
If things are so bad that you can't go home, and have to get a job in another state, detailed references might be necessary.

The Social Security office can help you research this, but their fees can be tricky. IIRC, if you call them, it's free. If you go in to get a hard copy, $$.

Schools you attended, including one-shot night courses. Is the school still functioning? Who has the records?