Tutorial 1 Disaster Binder

Blog number 1! Rev.2.0

Tutorial: Disaster Binder

Description: A disaster binder is all of your consolidated, important or sensitive paperwork and instructions on how to manage your home when the grid is down or worse. This living book should be loaded, organized and continuously updated with all of your important information. This binder should in a secure location to prevent unwanted access, but still needs to be easily accessible in the event of an emergency. This binder will help navigate the chaos of life or during a disaster and help rebuild after.

Disclaimers: The mission of this tutorial is to help you and your household organize its life documents. It is your responsibility to abide by all of your governing laws. In no way is this tutorial encouraging you (or anyone) to violate the governing laws that affect you. It is your responsibility to protect all sensitive and confidential information gathered, from all who may purposely or inadvertently disclose information from your gathered documents to harm, discredit, falsify or facilitate in fraud.

DistillingSurvival.com, this author and all who may have facilitated in the creating of this tutorial are not accountable for the actions, choices or outcomes from reading or the interpretation of this tutorial. The responsibility and obligation to keep the collected information about your dependents and your life as confidential as possible falls to you as an individual and the home book keeper. The following documents listed to gather below are sensitive and confidential information, pertaining to the persons and or dependents and needed to be secured away from all individuals that are not responsible for maintaining said documents or have legal reason to access the stored documents.

Important notes:

Your disaster binder will need to be kept in a fire proof safe when not in use. It will need to be constructed with a handle and strap to allow you to carry it easily for long periods. This binder should also include side pockets and a zipper to contain any loose papers. If the binder is not EMP rated, then in your side pockets, you should have EMP proof Fair Day sleeves to hold a tablet or laptop, plus battery back up and thumb drives to hold digital copies of the documents, photos and video.

Recommendations, the Faraday sleeve bags for laptops, tablets or phones from Vevor. fallow the link for more. https://www.vevor.com/spill-control-supplies-c_12626/vevor-faraday-bag-4-pack-signal-blocking-holder-for-laptop-tablet-phone-radio-xl-p_010739186256?lang=en&currency=usd&utm_source=inhouse&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=15491593&shortkey=20250308k3mN

Note: I am a affiliate of Vevor

The tablet and or laptop you choose should meet the follow requirements:

1. Charged from a 12-volt accessory plug in a vehicle. This may require you to keep a special cigarette lighter USB adapter plug, in your Fair-day sleeve.

2. The software used on the devise needs to be designed to function fully without an active internet connection. This means you’re not reliant on a cloud base server for storing pictures, files, doc, pdf or for the software to work, in order to open and read the files on a USB.

Key words when looking for software: non-cloud, non-cloud OS, local hardware, on-premises software or on-prem, and often written as on-premise, and also “desktop” software.

Examples of operating software: older Windows and the Office Suite, macOS and Linux variants.

3. You will need more than one USB plug on the devise to charge and read from a USB reliably

4. If you plan on downloading map software like On-X, you will need the GPS hardware built into the device.

5. Help better protect the information stored and the devices software, by limiting the amount of time the devices Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is on. Also limit web time, sites visited and Avoid opening links. Avoid social media all together. This device needs to be a fully dedicated tool to the disaster binder and not for playing games or running a business. You may want to do your taxes or manage your home financials on it, if only to maintain the battery health.

6. Remove the more sensitive information from your devises and put it on a thumb drive with password protection.

My suggestions for a computer would be a refurbished Panasonic Toughbook 31 and the CF-19. My list of software and the why I chose the Toughbook will be, in the Preppers Toughbook tutorial.

Other things in your binder.

o   If you are a competent radio operator, you might have a small handheld, ham radio in a faraday bag.

o   Several options for pencils (because #2 pencil, work in rain)

o   Sharpener or knife

o   Highlighter

o   Ruler

o   Directional compass

o   Map protractor

o   Bick lighter

o   Flashlight

o   you're going to utilize a lot of the three ring clear sheets that hold paper (glassines).

Disaster Binder Index:

1.      “Generic” emergency plans.

2.      Home Instructions.

3.      Insurance/inventory.

4.      Profiles of your party.

5.      Communication plan.

6.      Maps, get home and bug out plans.

7.      The List of Lists.

First Section: emergency plans

First section of your book is going to detail your emergency plan. This is going to be the generic short-term version and not your long-term "zombies are attacking!” plan.

Note: Everything after section 1 will be duplicated from this section, in more detailed with more sensitive information. This section is meant to be clean and redacted of sensitive information not appropriate for emergency responders or other government agencies. The fire department does not want you SSN and if the other government agencies need it, they have it already.

I recommend downloading one of the many generic emergency evacuation plan that can be found in a PDF format. Like this one from Washington state, it’s more tailored for foster or child care and will also give you some good steps to get started.

Just print it off and fill in the blank spaces and try to get as detailed as you can when it comes to your home and the locations of fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, O2 sensors, escape routes, and meet up locations outside the home.

Do not skimp on the details, the more detailed information you provide, (regarding your E-plan) the more effort you will get in return from responders. Also, you may see a greater return from your insurance claims.

Some of the things that are not in the emergency plan in the provided link above are:

• pet name, license chip number and medical history, specifically shot record.

• Veterinarian names, addresses and phone numbers.

• School names address and phone numbers.

• List of the utility’s and their contact info.

• List of contractors (with good reviews) and the contact info.

• Names and phone numbers for your primary care Doctor and pharmacy.

• Names of specialist providers and phone numbers.

• List of prescriptions and who they are for.

• List of family members medical conditions.

  
  

It’s really important to have a family picture with everyone in your household and as recent as possible. This might be the difference in proving that you are part of a family and you are searching for your loved ones.

Section 2 Home Instructions:

Instructions on how to take care of the home. The idea is any one of the capable individuals within your household, has a checklist to do the necessary chores when the grid is down. Such as, turn off the water, gas and sewer or any grid systems tied to your lot.

With most appliances and tools, you’re given instructions. This binder is a great place to store them.

For example, make instructions on:

·         How to deploy and hook up the generator specific to your home.

·         How to set up and operate the grain mill/ grinder.

·         How to use the water purification equipment.

·         Where your keeping extra emergency supplies.

Feel free to get detailed with pictures doing this and have fun with it.

Think in stages: Consider after 2 weeks, the city provided gas may not have enough pressure for your furnace to work correctly and may be a danger. You will need instructions on how to shut off the gas, not only for this purpose but in the case of a major earthquake or other emergencies.

Note: only turn off your utilities if it is required, such as in the event you smell gas. It is a long process and, in some cases, costly to turn these utilities back on.

Unfortunately, because each home is so different, I can only give you the general outlines. The above illustration is just an example. You may need to seek a consultation of a contractor or handyman to help you confidently fill this section out.

Section 3 Insurance...

This is the time to look around your home and list off the important things in your life.

This section will hold all of your potential insurance claim details. Everything from pictures and videos of expensive items. Jewelry, antiques, furniture and your small vault.

Be sure to include your mortgage details, homeowner insurance information and the life insurance policy.

Any extra individualized information such as life insurance policies should also be in this file, along with the profile notes in section 4.

This section should also have a list of all of your weapons. Make, model and serial numbers. Receipts, inheritance documents, documents of sold off items, and notes of work done with pictures. In case one of them ends up missing, stolen or winds up in a police report. Yes, even if all your guns were lost at the bottom of a lake from a horrifying boating accident…

The section should also hold:

·         Titles for your vehicles.

·         Registration and copies of bill of sale from old vehicles.

·         List of the vehicles, year make model license plate Numbers, and vin numbers.

·         Letter of proof of insurance.

·         Old or ongoing Insurance claim and all related documents.

• List of any firearms with and serial numbers.

• List of high value items with pictures and identifiers.

• A written list of all bill statements.

• Letters of Paid in full.

• Estimates.

• All home owner paper work.

• Receipts! Of work done or material used for home maintenance and high dollar un-serialized purchases.

• Legal documents and reports (this is regarding the family as a whole or owned property).

• Tax return documents.

• Family and or property Trust documents.

Section 4: Profiles Of Your Party

Details of each individual that lives in your home, is your responsibility, and depends on you (your dependents).

Also, you may need a file for individuals that may pose a threat to your family or you just had dealing with in the past. Bad beef…

Note: You need to note the reason you made a profile on a person for justifying clarification and legal reasonings. 

Note: You are responsible for what you do and the information you obtain, for good or bad.

You might have the following in each file:

o   Copy of driver's license.

o   Recent pictures of the individual.

o   Contact phone numbers and Email.

o   Birth certificate.

o   Social security card or equivalent.

o   Banking information.

o   Life insurance policy.

o   Work visa or placement letters.

o   Social medias and passwords.

o   All handwritten accounts or obtainable copies of police report or legal documents that pertain.

o   All training and certifications or degrees including high school diploma. With dates, addresses, e-mails, names and contact phone numbers for verification.

o   Medical history, blood type, conditions, known allergies and prescribed prescriptions.

o   Living Will and/or living Trust.

o   Will and/or Trust.

o   Work history and volunteer work.

o   Resume.

Consider writing a cover letter or a type of one-page resume describing the individual.

Pets: pictures, a written description of the pet, license chip number and any training the animal has undergone, veterinarian and shot history. This is a more detailed list compared to the 1st section.

Section 5: Communication Plan

What is your communication plan?

A strong communication plan needs to be written out and discussed as a family. Cell phone communication is going to be likely oversaturated after a major event and voice or video may not work at all. Sometimes a simple text message can make it through. Although it may take time. Be sure to time stamp each text message yourself and do not rely on your phone to do this.

Write down all of the necessary phone numbers that may be needed if the internet is not working. For example, your child's school, hospital, work and pharmacist.

Oftentimes, if you have a friend or relative out of the affected area, you’re more likely to get though and get a connection to them. Establish who this will be in your plan. This way you can leave a message to confirm you're okay or make plans to help family members in need.

Make flash cards with a list of Code words and phrases.

Some examples of situations requiring codes could be:

·         For check in points.

·         To state there is a threat to the family.

·         Package recovered.

·         Level of urgency.

·         Sighting of organized groups.

·         To state there is a problem.

·         Military presence.

·         Unpassable obstacle.

·         Ambush points

·         Radio operations

Consider alternative communication such as ham radios and get the necessary radio license required. There are other radios that will work in relatively close distances. A mile maybe. But a $30 Uv5R ham radio will go farther and allow you to listen in on a much bigger group of people, who love to talk and will be unfiltered.

All these communication plans need to be written down. I recommend you Google the 3,3,3 emergency radio plan, or follow the link and print it off to follow the instructions.

Include blank pages for your communication log.

Section 6. Mapping the path home and bug out plan.

Section 6 works with section 5, in that on the map, you should have code words for check in points on your path home from work or school. This way you can text message or radio home that you have traveled past check in point. For example, using bad tacos to describe a gas station. Try to have fun with it, but keep in mind the rules of not identifying your checkpoints with obvious names. Consider detailing location of your caches and or storage unit here.

This area of your binder should store:

o   Reference cards

o   Your family codes and map key.

o   9-line.

o   Reports.

o   Map standard identifiers.

o   Range cards.

o   Unit symbols.

o   Military vehicle ID.

o   Casualty.

o   Get home maps.

o   Bug out maps.

o   Detailed paper maps of your area.

o   Your state.

o   Your country.

o   Rail road and Nautical charts.

o   Biking/ Hiking/ walking and Rails to Trails maps.

I recommend caltopo.com as a free printable map site. But there are so many more websites that allow you to print off detailed topographical maps for your journey.

Both sets of maps should be printed out. Even if you don't have a bug out location, have a set of maps detailing where you would go if you couldn't stay in your home.

Section 7 The List of Itemized Lists

Sadly, this section is not a comprehensive break down of each list, instead, provides general guidance to help you start searching out what meets your needs.

1.      First Aid kit.

2.      Medications.

3.      Advanced first Aid.

4.      Daily vehicle loads out.

5.      Vehicle recovery kit.

6.      Get Home Bag.

7.      Bug out bag.

8.      Vehicle Bug out.

9.      Recon / running to town pack.

10.  Inventory of toiletry supplies.

11.  Inventory of dry good supplies.

12.  Inventory of canned good supplies.

13.  Inventory of water and purification supplies.

14.  Inventory of camping/bug out supply bins.

15.  Inventory of bug out clothing bins.

16.  Active Shooters kit (ASK)

17.  Trauma Management Kit

18.  Local wildlife and fauna.

Animal husbandry first aid kit.

Closing comments

The bundling of life documents is a step that is overlooked too often. I applaud you for taking the time to read this and encourage you to build your very own disaster binder. I believe this tool pushes people in the right direction, exposing the crack in your family’s armor. Shore up the weak points and get to prepping!