Where’s the safest place to store your insurance policies and important documents?
Written by Andy Kruger
BuildSOS CEO3 min read
The short answer
Keep digital copies of your insurance policies, ID, and key financial documents somewhere that survives even if your home doesn’t: your BuildSOS profile, a cloud account, or both. Add a printed backup in a waterproof bag if you want a physical version too. Fifteen minutes now means you’re never locked out of your own paperwork when you need it most.
Why document storage matters
Filing a claim, applying for FEMA assistance, or even just proving who you are all get harder without your paperwork. And paperwork kept only in a filing cabinet or on one computer doesn’t survive a fire or a flood any better than anything else in the house.
The fix is simple: keep a digital copy somewhere separate from the house itself.
What to store, and how
- Insurance policies. Photograph or scan every page, including the declarations page. Upload to your BuildSOS profile or a cloud account.
- Identification. Driver’s license, passports, Social Security cards. A photo of each is enough to prove identity and speed up assistance applications.
- Financial essentials. Bank account details, mortgage or lease documents, recent tax returns.
- Medical records. Prescriptions, insurance cards, any conditions a caregiver or first responder would need to know.
- Your asset list and home photos. If you’ve already built these, store them in the same place so everything lives together. See Document your assets and the 8 photos.
Keep it simple: one folder, clearly labeled, in your BuildSOS profile or a cloud account you’ll remember the login for.
Your Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK)
FEMA’s Emergency Financial First Aid Kit is a free checklist that walks you through gathering the documents above in one place, plus a few extras: out-of-state contacts, account numbers, and household inventory basics.
- Download the EFFAK checklist and work through it once
- Store the completed kit in your BuildSOS profile
- Update it once a year, alongside your other documentation
Frequently asked
What if I don’t have a scanner?
Your phone camera works fine. Photograph each document flat, in good light, and make sure the text is readable.
Is my BuildSOS profile secure enough for this?
Yes. It’s built for exactly this kind of storage, so your documents are there when you need them, wherever you are.
Do I still need paper copies?
A digital copy is the priority since it survives the disaster. A printed set in a waterproof bag is a good backup if you want extra peace of mind, but it’s not required.
About the author
Andy Kruger
Andy Kruger is CEO of BuildSOS, author of When the Storm Comes, and sits on multiple boards and advisory groups shaping disaster resilience policy and research.
About Andy