ONE MONTH BEFORE THE TORNADO

This spring is setting up to have a very active tornado season for people in the Southeast.  Comparisons to April 2011 are being made.  We have folk among us who didn't live here at that time or were in high school and don't know what to expect.  To help us here in Elkmont be prepared, we are going to walk through what to do and how to be ready.  Hill Spirit can't predict the weather so the catchy title of this post is just that, an attention generating headline.  This series of posts will help you prepare and give you the steps you need to do.  Things that take longer to do will be in the beginning set of posts.

WHAT TO DO ONE MONTH BEFORE....

 
1.  Have you updated and checked your house insurance?
*many of us haven't looked at our policies in years; does it reflect what your house is really worth?  Get out those policies or call your insurance agent and make sure you have house replacement coverage.  If you are a renter, you might want to consider renter's insurance.  Just because you don't own a home, doesn't mean your belongings aren't valuable.

You need to document what you own.  You can take pictures or you can make a video of what is in your home.  Be sure to pay special attention to those unique things like a comic book collection, antique guns, etc. 

2.  Collect documents
* You need birth certificates, insurance cards, social security cards, contact lists of friends, doctors, credit cards, prescriptions, wills, living wills, power of attorney, etc. Anything and everything that is important for you to establish your identity, conduct business and manage your affairs.  You need to scan these and put those images on a thumb drive. Start collecting this weekend.

3.  What about pictures?
During the tornadoes of 2011, so many pictures were lost; so many memories blown away.  Hill Spirit remembers the rain of documents and pictures from the Phil Campbell tornado that came down in Elkmont.  Don't let this happen to you.  You won't be able to take much with you so scan everything you hold dear and put them on a thumb drive too.  You won't be able to get every scrapbook and picture off the wall so prepare for the possibility that you may lose them forever. Scan those pictures.

Yes, these things are big projects and that's why they are listed first.  You have the time if you make time.  If you don't, the only thing you might have left is regret.

Look for the next post on Monday, 3 Weeks Before the Tornado.