Always be Prepared. Here is the test. If you had five minutes to pack the most important things in your life with you, what would they be? Here is a second question. Do you even know where all those important things are?

The recent episode with the Somerset tsunami should have given all of us pause to think. In a blink of an eye, we faced a imminent danger, the kind that citizens of many countries deal with on a daily basis.

What really means the most to you? If you had to survive in an unfriendly environment, could you? The answer to all these questions is that most of us are woefully unprepared. When I was notified that I might have to evacuate, I rather woodenly thought, well, it is not going to happen — then decided that maybe it might. So, into a bag went the cell phone, laptop and chargers, wallet (very little cash), but several electronic money cards, and toiletries. That was it! Pretty pathetic for someone who has spend many an hour preaching to the readers of this column. The cell phone did not work (all air-waves immediately jammed), and the laptop would have only been serviceable for a few hours if electrical power shut down.

A swept-out-of-Somerset tsunami guest deposited my husband at our door and and ended up stranded at our home, along with her dear children. Her thought process was certainly better than mine. She too brought a cell phone, a family heirloom, several pairs of diapers and children’s food, but neither of us considered changes of clothing and portable emergency rations. We actually thought a bottle of wine a great idea, but heavy and breakable.

Additionally, it never occurred to me to take passports, extra cash (didn’t have it anyway) copies of bank statements, title deed, birth certificates, social insurance numbers and other relevant identity verifiers. Whoever said that the hard copy office is dead — long live a paperless life — has never experienced communication infrastructure shut down. When electronic records cannot be accessed, cold hard cash and barter become the only means of transaction.

As the afternoon wore on, it became obvious that this was a false alarm (although no one in authority verified it) and everyone could go back to the business of daily living.

We realise when viewing the daily barrage of catastrophes called the global news that thankfully, few of us have ever had to cope with mobilisation of family and severe emergency situations. Hopefully, we will never will.

What we can do, however, is get our affairs in order so that when we need those important document, medicines or family memorabilia, we can locate them easily. We’ve got a few days off over the holidays, so in between visiting family and friends, get yourself organised.

Original documents<$> — deeds to real estate, cars, bikes, and other property, wills, birth certificates, immunisation records, share certificates, passports, company documents, and other items should be stored in a safe deposit box. If you don’t wish to use a safety deposit box, at least, lock these documents in a heavy file cabinet, preferably fireproof.

Loose leaf binder — make copies of the following and keep them all in one binder. It is easy to locate and easy to transport. Inability to access your home or electronic files means reliance on physical documentary evidence to prove who you are and what you own.

[bul] Bank statements and investment records

[bul] Pension and social insurance records (and numbers)

[bul] Life insurance policies or at least one bill with the number and name on it

[bul] Share certificates

[bul] Passports

[bul] Birth certificates

[bul] Real estate Deeds

[bul] Trust documents

[bul] Corporate documents

[bul] Primary family homestead certificate

[bul] Pay stubs

[bul] Medical prescriptions

[bul] Eyeglass prescriptions

[bul] Licenses and certifications of all kinds, legal, accountancy, medical, dental, technician, etc.

[bul] High school, university, graduate school, law school diplomas and transcripts

[bul] Credit reports and statements

[bul] Adoption papers

[bul] Marriage and divorce certificates

[bul] CV and recent resumes

[bul] And other identity and related docums

File Cabinets <$>— go through (wade through) all of your bills, invoices, receipts, etc. Eliminate those that are years old. Get rid of old lapsed insurance policies after you arere<$> that they have indeed lapsed. Destroy very old deposit receipts, credit card invoices, and so on. Destroy means tearing into tiny pieces, shredding or burning. Do not throw them away intact.

Items that you should keep include:

[bul] Year end pay stubs — to prove you have had pension and social insurance deducted

[bul] Life insurance premium payments

[bul] Land tax assessments, etc.

[bul] Paid up life insurance policies

[bul] Year-end bank and investment statements

[bul] Pension statements - annual

[bul] Medical annual physical reports

[bul] Tax returns

Note that these suggestions do not include those individuals and families who are US citizens or dual-citizens with the United States. All personal finance items listed above and more that relate to tax return filings should be kept at least seven years.

Family memorabilia and photos <$>now may be the time to invest in an inexpensive scanner. Nothing hurts more than to lose, sometimes forever, memories of the past, both good and sad. Photographs in Bermuda literally self-destruct (very quickly) from the mould, the dampness, the sun, the cockroaches and the termites.

Have a family share day with your relatives to exchange and copy those old happy pictures and bring your family memories up to date. Then follow through and put them all on read-only CD’s. You can further enjoy these pictures by turning the whole batch into a perpetual screen saver, a living journal which my dear husband did for us. Some mornings, pictures of our young family bring on smiles; on others, we are reminded of tougher times when a family member left us. But, all these memories are part of the fabric (and electronic wizardry) of our lives going forward.

Medicine and cosmetic cabinet &12; <$>are all your prescriptions current? If not, go through all that old medication. If it has outdated, it may not be relied upon for current medical problems. Old eye allergy drops can become contaminated, ditto, old make-up for ladies. Our Bermuda climate turns everything into crumbly mouldy unidentifiable things. If you are not sure about your medications, talk to your friendly pharmacist.

Cellar / storage shed — what’s in your cellar? Old paint, kerosene, gasoline, candles, hurricane lamps, paint thinner, weed killer and other solvents. Most of these items are packaged in metal tins which rust, then leak. How close to your storage area is your water tank? Dispose of these items responsibly. There are several collections days just for these types of chemicals — watch for the announcements in the papers and get it taken away.

Time to start over with a clean slate. No one likes these types of chores, but I guarantee, you’ll feel better afterward.

Out with the old and in with the New.

Seasons Greetings to you all.