JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With hurricane season approaching and wildfire risks rising from drought conditions, Florida emergency experts are urging residents to go beyond the basics when building their emergency supply kits — and that includes protecting their most important financial documents.
“You want make sure you have copies of all of your important papers,” said Christian Smith, regional CEO of the American Red Cross North & Central Florida.
MORE: Download & Save The Weather Authority’s Hurricane Survival Guide
The financial go bag: What to pack
Smith says the traditional go bag — stocked with first aid supplies, headlamps, food and batteries — is still essential. But in today’s digital age, a second layer of preparation is just as critical.
Experts recommend organizing what they’re calling a “financial go bag,” a collection of key personal and financial documents. That includes passports, Social Security cards, birth certificates and driver’s licenses — anything that establishes identity.
Insurance policies, bank statements, utility bills and credit card account information should also be included, along with contact numbers for family members and emergency contacts.
One often-overlooked tip: Shoot a home inventory video of everything inside your home, and consider storing it on a flash drive.
And when it comes to cash — don’t skip it.
“Cash is king. That’s a statement,” Smith said.
Smith recommends a couple of hundred dollars as a safe starting point for a small family.
Why paper still matters
While digitizing documents to a cloud service, email or sharing them with family members is ideal, having physical copies stored in a waterproof bag remains a practical backup — especially when you need to speak with local officials or access accounts immediately after a disaster.
The need to move fast is real, Smith says — and it’s not just hurricanes that demand it.
“Your go kit is not just for a hurricane. It could be for a wildfire. This is that time of year, so somebody might come [to] your door. The department will be there and you have five minutes to evacuate, and they’re going to tell you, ‘Grab yourself and go,’” Smith said.
For Cindy and Art Druhl, the idea of a financial go bag hits close to home — particularly in an era where identity theft is a growing concern.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Art said. “Especially with identification being able to falsify so easily now.”
The couple admits they don’t have a survival kit yet — but say they’re open to changing that.
“If circumstances change, if it made sense to do that, we absolutely would,” Art said.
Florida Health’s emergency supply kit guidelines align closely with recommendations from the American Red Cross, which also suggests keeping local maps and evacuation routes on hand in case GPS is unavailable, along with cell phone chargers and backup batteries.