Financial Education Resources

Weather and health-related natural disasters can cause widespread devastation and wreak financial havoc on families and communities. In recognition of National Preparedness Month, we are dedicated to educating our communities about simple measures to help consumers with the recovery and rebuild process.

Natural disasters are an unfortunate reality, but they don’t have to lead to financial ruin. Therefore, it is vital to have a plan for safeguarding your finances and minimizing the financial fallout of a disaster, so you can remain focused on the personal safety of you and your loved ones.

Follow these tips to help make a plan and regain financial stability following a natural disaster.

• Establish an emergency savings account for use in a crisis and keep a small amount of cash on hand in case you’re unable to access funds electronically and need to purchase necessary supplies, fuel or food.
• Prepare backup communications plans if both cellular and landline services fail.
• Store copies of financial documents, including investment records, property deeds, insurance policies, tax information, wills, trusts and financial and medical powers of attorney.
• Make copies of personal documents— Driver’s licenses, passports, Social Security cards, birth certificates, adoptions, marriage and divorce papers, property deeds and titles.
• Print contact information for trustees, guardians, and executors and store them for safe keeping.
• Create an inventory of personal and household valuables and use photo or video documentation to help assess their value and determine replacement costs.
• Contact your insurance agent or visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) website, to determine if you need a flood insurance policy. For more helpful financial preparedness tips, download the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit to get started planning today.

Community bankers are financial first responders as stewards of their community and serve as a great resource to help you evaluate your financial preparedness and ability to reestablish your financial footing in the aftermath of a natural or manmade disaster. Call on your personal banker today, before these unexpected, stressful events occur so you can create a plan to get back on the road to financial recovery when they happen.

For more information on crisis preparedness visit ICBA’s website at www.icba.org/news/crisis-preparedness.