During an extreme weather disaster, your home could suffer costly damage and your place of work could close for weeks or months.
There’s no way to make it easy, but you can take steps now to make your financial recovery smoother.
Before extreme weather is in the forecast, make sure your insurance coverage is up to date. And take photos of the rooms in your house so you can more easily make claims for items that are damaged or destroyed.
It’s a good idea to print out information about bank accounts, bills, and loans, so you can make payments and communicate with lenders. Store these records where you can access them quickly.
If possible, sign up to have your paychecks directly deposited into your bank and enroll in automatic deposits for federal benefits, so if mail service is interrupted or you’re displaced and can’t check your mailbox, you can still get your money.
Having some cash on hand is important if ATMs are not working or banks are closed.
And if your finances allow it, maintain an emergency savings fund to provide a cushion if you lose work.
Living through a disaster is bound to be disruptive. But preparing and organizing your finances can help make the recovery process a lot less stressful.
Reporting credit: Ariel Hansen and Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
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