Two Organizations are urging South Dakotans to be prepared for emergencies and disasters by having the right documentation in a secure place. Officials say this can make all the difference in an emergency.
Lutheran Social Services and the Center for Financial Resources are providing aid to communities who are recovering from disasters. Key to a speedy recovery is having what's called a ‘Red File’. Community Relations Coordinator Breck Miller says having identity information and other financial documents can help after a disaster.
“The idea is to have all of those documents in a centralized secure place. So that you have access to them and you know when to find them, rather than have them in a file cabinet somewhere or in a drawer and suddenly you lose them in a fire or they get blown away in a tornado. Our idea is that you have them in one of the briefcase style safes and semi accessible so that you have a better chance should you have to evacuate. That you can grab ahold of that take that with you and have all of those documents with you and ready to go,” says Miller.
Miller says Lutheran Social Services steps in whenever they can to get people’s finances back on track. He says Center for Financial Resources has more tips too.