In recognition of National Preparedness Month in September, the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) and the nation’s community bankers are reminding Americans to create a plan to ease their worries and speed their financial recovery in the wake of a natural disaster.
“While unforeseen circumstances can occur at any time, devising a financial preparedness plan can help minimize the long-term impact and expedite the road to financial recovery,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “As financial stewards of their communities, community bankers are an excellent local resource to help consumers plan for life’s unexpected twists and turns.”
ICBA offers the following tips to help consumers prepare for and recover from a natural disaster:
- Create an emergency savings account. Keep a small amount of cash on hand to purchase supplies, fuel or food in case electronic funds are not immediately available.
- Prepare a family emergency communications plan to contact loved ones.
- Gather financial and critical personal, household and medical information and make copies. Password-protect and store printed copies in weatherproof containers.
- Document and insure property to help determine replacement costs. Renters, homeowners, and auto insurance don’t cover all aspects of a disaster so specialized coverage like earthquake and flood insurance may be required.
- Contact your insurance agent or visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) website,…
