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Preparedness

Documents and money

Last reviewed: 10 November 2026

Which household documents to copy and protect, why cash still matters when card networks are down, and how flood insurance works for homes in Charleston, Dorchester, or Berkeley County.

After a storm, you may need to prove who you are, what you own, and what insurance you have — sometimes while card networks are down. A thin, waterproof packet of copies, plus some cash, solves problems that a well-stocked pantry cannot.

What to gather

Make copies (paper, and encrypted or password-protected digital files on a thumb drive or a trusted cloud account) of:

  • Driver’s licenses or state IDs, passports, and Social Security or other identification records you legally hold
  • Birth, marriage, and adoption certificates, and custody or guardianship papers
  • Deeds, leases, mortgage statements, and vehicle titles or registrations
  • Insurance policies: home, renters, auto, life, health, and flood — with policy numbers and claim phone numbers
  • A simple household inventory, with photos of rooms and major items, taken now while the house is in order
  • Bank and credit-card account numbers and customer-service numbers (store these carefully)
  • Immunization records, a medication and allergy list, and copies of prescriptions or a recent pharmacy printout
  • Pet vaccination and microchip records, and a photo of each pet with a family member
  • School and workplace emergency contacts
  • A paper map of the area and your written family plan

Keep the originals in the safest place you already use. Put the copies in a water-resistant pouch or box that can go in the go-bag in under a minute. Ready.gov specifically recommends a waterproof, portable container for this purpose.

Update the packet when policies renew, when you move, or when a household member’s ID changes. A twice-yearly kit check is a good reminder.

Cash

Power outages and network failures can take card readers and ATMs offline, sometimes for days. Keep a modest amount of cash at home, in small bills, in the same protected place as the documents — enough for fuel, ice, a night of lodging, or groceries if a store can only take cash. There is no official “right” amount; it is a judgment based on what your household can set aside and keep securely.

Do not keep so much cash that losing the bag would be a financial crisis. This is a convenience reserve, not a savings account.

Traveler’s checks are still mentioned on some official lists; they are less widely accepted than they once were. Cash and a credit card you can use when networks return will cover most situations.

Insurance, especially flood

A standard homeowner’s or renter’s policy typically does not cover flooding, including storm-surge damage. In Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley Counties that gap matters. Flood coverage is available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and some private insurers. There is often a waiting period of about 30 days after you buy an NFIP policy before it takes effect, so the time to look is well before a named storm.

Check whether you are in a mapped flood area at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, but do not treat a map as a guarantee. Flooding can happen outside formal high-risk zones, which is why “where it rains, it can flood” is the official message. For a local determination or a building permit in a floodplain, contact your county floodplain office: Charleston County Building Inspection Services at (843) 202-6930, Berkeley County Floodplain Management at (843) 719-4266, or Dorchester County’s Floodplain Management Program (through Building Services; a separately labeled floodplain phone was not published on that page).

If you rent, ask what the landlord’s policy covers and what a renter’s policy plus flood coverage would need to fill in. Photograph the house and vehicles as soon as it is safe after a storm, before you throw damaged items away, and start a claim when you can. FEMA disaster assistance, when it is declared, is not a substitute for insurance; it is a separate, limited program.

After you leave, or after a loss

Carry the document pouch with you if you evacuate. If you are dealing with damage, keep a notebook of expenses, claim numbers, and the names of adjusters. The FEMA Helpline, when a federal disaster has been declared, is 1-800-621-3362, and applications go through DisasterAssistance.gov.

Sources & further reading