It’s crucial to keep your important documents safe from natural disasters

Floods, fires, historic storms – severe weather events are on the rise. If your home was hit by a flood or a fire, would your important papers be safe?

Don’t be unprepared. You need to have a plan in place to protect your documents.

The most important items to keep in a safe place are those difficult to replicate, including documents that prove identity, legal process or ownership.

If you’d have to call a government agency to process a replacement, you probably want to store it somewhere where it can stay damage-free.

You should also consider what you’d need to access if a disaster strikes.

“It’s also a good idea to keep scans of your critical documents, as well as backups of all your computer files on a storage device at a separate location, or in the cloud,” says Pete Duncanson from Service Master Restore, a restoration service company.

In some cases, a copy of a document will suffice in an emergency.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep the original – but if you lose the original, you may be able to get by with your digital copy.

You can take a photo, scan a document or create a PDF of an online statement, and use a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox for storage. If you use an external drive, keep that somewhere safe as well.

If you need to file an insurance claim, your insurer will need proof of what you own.

Keeping a record of your things is tedious – but you probably have a smartphone with a camera.

“Start from the front door, turn on the video camera and take a quick two-minute walk around your house,” says Sev Tamayo, an agent with Goosehead Insurance in Florida.

Do this once a year. Let your insurance renewal be your cue or set a calendar reminder – and refresh it when you’ve made a major purchase or renovation.

Store important documents in a container that makes the most sense for your particular risks to prepare for the unexpected.

You can get a fireproof safe box for under $50, but keep in mind that they come in a variety of sizes and temperature ratings. Some are waterproof. Some are more portable than others. Putting items into a zip-close bag or waterproof container inside a fireproof safe can provide double protection.

A safe-deposit box at a bank can weather several events. But don’t put anything there that you might need in a hurry – such as a passport – or anything someone would need in the event of your death, such as your estate documents.

“If a family member isn’t on the box, that box has to go through full-blown probate just to get stuff out of the box,” says Patrick Simasko, an estate planning lawyer at Simasko Law in Michigan.

At the very least, you can put important documents in a watertight plastic bin on a high shelf.

“It’s not going to protect you from fire, but it can protect the papers from smoke damage and a burst pipe or flooding incident,” says Adam Lyszczarz from Prism Specialties, a restoration company in Michigan.

Putting your documents in a plastic zip-close bag in your refrigerator or freezer can protect them, although it’s not a long-term solution.

“They are watertight and the cool temperatures will ensure that things don’t burn, but after a while, they could begin to mould,” Mr Lyszczarz says.

The most important items to keep in a safe place include documents that prove identity, legal process or ownership