Your Identity in the Eye of the Storm

Data needs a safe haven in disasters, too

September 2009

Every hurricane season, Clay Allen receives calls from people who have been forced to leave their homes because of a big storm. They’re frightened, frustrated and desperate. Too often, they have little cash, and no access to important financial documents that could help them withstand a prolonged period away from home.

Allen is a spokesman for the United Services Automobile Association, an insurance and financial-services company that serves millions of active and retired members of the military. During a hurricane or other kind of disaster, he’s a point of contact for USAA’s customers, many of whom find they can’t use credit cards at grocery stores or get access to basic phone numbers.

Hurricane season in the North Atlantic generally runs from early June through November, with the peak of the season in August and September, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But disaster can hit any time of year in the event of floods, tornadoes and wildfires.  So if you don’t have a disaster-preparedness plan for your personal data, now is a perfect time to take steps to help prevent the loss of your information, and aim to lessen the nightmare of an evacuation.

“If a hurricane rips through your home, it could scatter all your information across several miles,” Allen says. “Some stranger could pick up your bank statement and use it to steal your identity.”

During a storm, it can be difficult to think about the security of important documents, particularly if you’re busy boarding up windows and hoarding canned food. But a significant loss of sensitive data could be catastrophic. How will you prove to the insurance company what you own? How will you pay your mortgage if you can’t find your lender’s address?

Last year, a USAA member in this position told Allen he had grown tired of lifting his entire file cabinet into his pickup truck every time he had to leave ahead of an approaching hurricane. So this time, he’d left it behind. His house took a direct hit. The cabinet, and all his personal information, was lost.

“It’s a huge hassle to get all those documents back, and it takes a lot of time,” Allen says.
Fortunately, simple and detailed preparation is the best defense. Develop an action plan, practice it, and follow it every time a major storm or other calamity appears as if it’s headed for your area.

The most important step people can take to protect their finances against a hurricane is to back up all financial records. It may be wise to make copies of your most important documents, like your birth certificate and Social Security card, and put them someplace safe, like a bank safe-deposit box.

“Even a post-office box, if you have no place else to turn,” says Candace Iskowitz, spokeswoman for the Institute for Business & Home Safety, an insurance industry group. “Those are pretty safe, and the mail keeps functioning even in most disasters.”

Everything else – bank statements, tax returns, your mortgage, and insurance policies for your car and home – should be backed up electronically. The easiest way to do this is to register for online accounts through your bank and credit-card companies.

Paper documents may need to be scanned. Other financial documents should be backed up, either onto an external hard drive, CD or flash drive (ideally all three). Be sure to include the device on your list of essential things to take with in the event of an evacuation. If you have many documents to save, or if you’re worried you might forget them as you leave, find a place to store the copies somewhere else in the country that isn’t susceptible to hurricanes.  Finding a secure online data backup site is also a good idea.

“People need to keep in mind that duplication is the key,” Iskowitz says.


It’s also important to document your possessions. The simplest way is to walk around your house taking photos or videos of everything you own, especially the high-value items. If you can, place the purchase receipts next to the expensive items and record them, too. The photos or video will come in handy if you have to file an insurance claim. Make sure to store these images with a family member or friend who lives in another part of the country. The IRS offers a helpful workbook that shows people how to itemize their property.


People who rely on credit or debit cards for daily purchases may find difficulty using them during a major hurricane because most stores, worried about electricity outages and vendors whose systems are disrupted by the storm, take only cash. Try to keep a cushion of cash tucked away in the house for such emergencies. On your way out of town, stop by an ATM for more.

“It’s hard to say how much people should bring, because they don’t know how long they’ll be gone,” says Allen, whose company operates an RV equipped with a mobile ATM for use disaster zones. “People just need to remember that the only currency may be cash.”


Every evacuation is different because every storm is different. Plus, living situations change. That’s why it’s important to update your emergency plan every year. If you have new additions to the family – a baby, say, or an older relative, you’ll need to bring their important documents too, including ones concerning their health. You’ll probably need more money, too. A hurricane is a serious enough problem without running around the house trying to think of things to jam into the car.

“People get out, but they might not prepare themselves,” Allen says. “And that’s when they get into trouble.”


It may seem strange to tell the tax man that you’re facing economic disaster. But the agency has watched taxpayers endure hurricanes and other natural disasters long enough that it now has an entire division dedicated to disaster relief. To help you prepare ahead of time, the IRS provides answers to frequently asked questions about disasters.

If you’re caught away from your home without your financial documents, you can request a copy of your W-2s and other tax documents [pdf]. The IRS also provides information on how to respond to your specific disaster – anything from hurricanes in Florida to ice jams in Alaska. The news releases tell victims whether they are covered by federal disaster aid, advise them how to take advantage of tax relief or postponed filing deadlines, apply for relief, and deduct storm losses from their taxes. You can also talk to an IRS disaster specialist by calling: 866-562-5227.

If a hurricane’s wind and rain is already pounding your house, it’s probably too late to safeguard your important documents. But you can save yourself months of aggravation and potentially huge financial losses by taking these simple steps now.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” Allen says. “Planning ahead and making copies of your documents can make a big difference.”