Our Family Organization Notebook II
Today we are going to focus on part two of our three ring binder family organization notebook that we have been putting together. Remember, these binders are the one item that we can turn to in an emergency situation (or not) that will tell us WHERE everything is and includes all the contact information in one place so we do not waste time in a critical moment.
Every single family you know should really have a notebook like this, for ease of mind. With the advances in technology today and with the increase in our time, possessions and demands, we need help keeping things altogether. This notebook wil do it. If it works for you, think about what a wonderful gift it would make for everyone else you know. Decorate a binder and print out the instructions for your loved ones and let them bring a little organization into their lives.
Let us get on with the construction of our own notebooks. As a reminder, here are the eight sections of the Family Organization Notebook that we are going to put together:
- the basics of your family
- an emergency plan for your family
- health/health insurance information
- insurance as it pertains to your possessions, life and such
- your money matter locations and such
- information for an attorney/preparation for legal issues
- information for caregivers, be they taking care of your home, pet, children, parents or what have you
- finally, information on your house itself and what is in it
Last week, we did the first part, which was basic information on each individual family member to be printed out and placed in our notebook. Today, we are going to prepare an emergency plan for our family. Remember, after taking the time to create this page, print it out and put it in your notebook! Discuss it with your family members so that they know what the game plan is during a family emergency, and then keep it up to date.
Your family emergency plan is what you and *your* family will do in the event of an unexpected occurrence like a fire, a natural disaster like flood or earthquake or an act of terrorism.
- Access to your home AND business: (list the names of individuals who have keys to your home AND business)
- names of people with keys
- access people phone:
- Emergency MEETING LOCATION: (this is a two part answer, as you want a meeting location very close to your home, for example if you have to get out of the house in case of fire and need to make sure everyone is there. You also need a meeting location further away from home in the case of, for example, mandatory evacuation of your town).
- location close to home and
- location further away from home.
- Out of state contact person to call in case of emergency. (It is important that this person be physically distant from your family in order to avoid communication issues that might arise if a location’s infrastructure is compromised. )
- Out of state contact person name:
- Out of state contact person phone(s)
- List of possessions and location (this means the possessions you feel like you must rescue in an emergency situation, like wedding photos and the like. Now is the time to decide what you would really want to take and list for yourself where exactly they are in your home so that you can find them immediately in a crisis.) Now is also the for you to really consider your material possessions and decide if there is anything that is really important enough that you want to grab and take with you if you were required to evacuate your home. The idea here is to make those choices NOW when you are not under pressure, rather than later when you will not have the time to make those choices.
- Alarm Company Phone (you may wish to consider including any password or code if you feel like you might not be able to think of that information under pressure)
- Gas Shutoff location(in addition to naming the exact location, draw yourself a small map when you print out)
- fire extinguisher location (in addition to naming the exact location, draw yourself a small map if needed)
- water main location (in addition to naming the exact location, draw a small map for the “stranger” that might need this information)
- location of your emergency water storage (in an emergency situation, memory has a strong tendency to slip, so writing down where in your home you have stored your emergency provisions will help)
- neighbors water and gas shutoff (might not be necessary if your neighbor is five miles away, but if your neighbor’s house is close enough to flood yours, it makes sense that you know this information to save *your* home, in addition to your neighbors.
- Clergy
- Name
- Church address
- Contact phone
- Any additional emergency information for your family:
Next week, our section is going to deal with our individual and family health along with our health insurance information. Again, we are going to put all that information into one central location so we no longer have to worry in emergency situations, or even in day to day information gathering situations either!
Until our next update, enjoy decorating your notebook!
Sphere: Related Content
