Florida Porch

Disaster document binder

Find the papers before the sky gets loud.

A Florida storm plan is easier when IDs, insurance, medicine, pet records, home photos, and emergency contacts are already in one place.

Build the binder

Six pockets. Nothing fancy.

Use a folder, envelope, zip bag, phone album, cloud folder, or all of them. The point is simple: if you leave, shelter, call an insurer, or help someone else, you know where the proof lives.

People

IDs and contacts

Put the basics where you can grab them fast.

  • Driver licenses, passports, birth certificates, and Social Security cards
  • Emergency contacts, out-of-area contact, school contacts, and county alert source
  • Custody papers, caregiver notes, and anything a shelter or helper may need

Home

Insurance and property

A storm claim is easier when the proof is not scattered.

  • Homeowners, flood, wind, renters, condo, auto, and boat policy pages
  • Deed, lease, mortgage contact, HOA or condo contact, and utility account numbers
  • Photos or video of rooms, roof, yard, vehicles, serial numbers, and valuables

Health

Medicine and special needs

Medical details should not depend on one tired phone battery.

  • Prescription list, doctor and pharmacy contacts, allergies, glasses, and device needs
  • Insurance cards, Medicare or Medicaid cards, and medical equipment instructions
  • Special needs registry status or local emergency management instructions

Pets

Animals and shelter rules

Pet plans need paperwork too.

  • Rabies records, vaccination records, microchip number, and vet contact
  • Pet photo, feeding notes, medicine, crate label, leash, and comfort item
  • Pet-friendly shelter rules or the place you will go if your county orders evacuation

Money

Cash, cards, and accounts

After a storm, online access may be slow or unavailable.

  • Bank, card, loan, payroll, benefits, and insurance claim contact information
  • Some cash in small bills, if you can set it aside
  • Paper notes for logins kept in a safe way, plus a trusted-contact plan

Backup

Phone folder and cloud copy

One folder should travel with you. One copy should survive if the folder gets wet.

  • Phone photos or scans of key papers
  • A password-protected cloud or drive backup
  • A sealed paper copy in a go bag, plus originals kept somewhere safer when possible

Florida catches

The binder should match the storm plan.

Evacuation zone and county alerts

The binder should say where you get local orders. County emergency management is the voice that matters when roads, shelters, and return notices change.

Flood, wind, and home photos

Florida home paperwork often splits flood, wind, homeowners, condo, renters, auto, and boat questions. Keep the policy pages separate enough to find.

Special needs and medicine

If someone needs power, transport, medical equipment, oxygen, or extra help, handle the registry and local instructions before a storm is close.

Keep it alive

Update it when boring things change.

A binder gets stale after an insurance renewal, move, new medicine, new pet, new car, new school, new lease, or new phone. Pick one quiet day before storm season and one quiet day after the holidays to clean it up.

Check Florida supply list Plan the evacuation bag

Related checks

The papers connect to the next decision.

Home insurance and wind

Separate policy, wind, deductible, Citizens, and flood questions before a claim is stressful.

Flood and insurance

Check flood maps, evacuation zones, flood coverage, and storm-risk questions for the home.

Official checks

Sources used for this page

Last checked June 29, 2026. Use Florida Disaster, your county emergency management office, Ready.gov, your insurer, your doctor or pharmacist, and your own household records before you rely on a storm binder.

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