Congratulations! You have taken the first step towards keeping your family's financial stability during an emergency such as a Hurricane.  Unfortunately, many people do not think to prepare for disasters in advance.  Call Federal Credit Union and Ft. Lee Federal Credit Union have teamed together to provide This Hurricane Financial Preparedness Kit to make you better prepared should disaster strike.

• The Top 5 Hurricane Preparedness Tips
• Important Documents Checklist
• Emergency Numbers
• Financial Account Relationships Worksheet (make additional copies if necessary)
• Insurance Policy Relationships

The documents in the kit are in Adobe PDF format.   

Hurricane Preparedness Tips:

1. Keep Important Documents Safe
   1. Gather mortgage documents, titles to your home and auto, driver’s license, social security card(s), passport(s), insurance policies, wills, birth and marriage certificate(s), tax records and any other important documents in advance.
   2. Don’t forget your pets!  They have important veterinarian records as well.
   3. Households may even scan these important documents onto your computer and burn a CD copy to keep with you.  Be certain to keep the CD in a secured location not in your home.
2. Carry Insurance
   1. Talk with your insurance agent to make certain you are protected against floods, hurricanes and earthquakes.  Make certain you understand the terms of what is covered.  For example, there is a difference between replacement and reimbursement cost.  For example, if your 5 year old stereo system was destroyed, would your insurance give you the value of your TV or what it would cost to replace it with a new one? 
   2. Many families are underinsured.  If you rent, get renters insurance. 
   3. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, only 25 percent of the 10 million American homes that lie within high flood-risk zones carry insurance. 
3. Fill Up – Cash and Gas
   1. Visit your local branch/ATM to get the cash you may need if power was out for an extended period of time (up to a week).  Think about your entire family needing food, gas, and a place to stay.  Gas stations may be open, but they may not have the convenience of accepting a debit or credit card.  We have become accustom to convenience but computer systems may be down due to the storm.
4. Take a Home Inventory
   1. Make a visual record of your possessions.  You can videotape or use your camera to record items in your home to ensure that you can recoup replacement cost, especially for valuable items.  Note how much the item cost and when you bought it.  Note any serial numbers or model numbers. 
   2. Photograph the exterior of your house, including landscaping, fencing,
5. Keep Important Numbers/Websites
   1. If you do evacuate, CALL Federal Credit Union has Credit Union Service Centers all over the United States to cover your financial needs.  And we’re committed to reopening as quickly as possible. 
   2. To keep up-to-date on special post disaster offers and emergency loans, branch closing and openings call: Call Federal Credit Union: 800-784-CFCU  www.callfcu.org
   3. Red Cross, www.redcross.org
   4. FEMA, www.fema.gov
   5. NOAA, www.noaa.gov
   6. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Natural Events, www.epa.gov/naturalevents/hurricanes.html
   7. Virginia Credit Union League, www.vacul.org