Follow these tips in case of disasters

If you had just moments to leave your house in the event of a fire or flood, what would you take?

Big disasters such as the California wildfires and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as the neighborhood catastrophe of an overheated Christmas tree or space heater are reminders that everyone needs a plan.

Actually more than one.

Being prepared for disaster means not only making a plan to survive and/or escape, it also means getting your finances in order to handle such an event.

Here are some tips for preparing a financial disaster preparedness plan:

• Make a copy of everything in your wallet. Put it on a disk and/or in a bank vault or with trusted family members in another city. It also might not be a bad idea to give a copy to a trusted local family member in case the disaster is limited to just your house or neighborhood. That way you can access your information that much sooner.

• Sign up for electronic payment of critical bills such as health insurance, mortgage (mortgage companies and other institutions still expect to get paid). Signing up for direct deposit of your paycheck could also be beneficial.

• Sign up for online banking and online access of your investment accounts -- IRA, stocks, mutual funds, CDs.

• In case something happens to one spouse or partner, make sure the other has access to all accounts.

Prepare a waterproof and fireproof box that you can grab and go in case of an emergency. Include all family and friend contact information, phone numbers, addresses, recent account statements, a financial contact list, mortgage and insurance statements and a small supply of cash. Also include children's Social Security cards, copies of birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, adoption papers, drivers licenses.

• Determine how much cash your family might need to survive for three days away from home. Also set aside an emergency care fund with enough money to cover bills for three to six months.

• Get an ATM card even if you never use it, so that you can access money in any city if you can't get to your local branch.

• Pay off credit card debt so that you will be able to use the cards if necessary.

Source: NACHA, The Electronics Payment Association and the American Red Cross.