By Operation HOPE Jena Roscoe, Senior Vice President, Government Relations, Public Policy
NOW is always the time to strengthen your financial preparedness for disasters and emergencies.
Americans at all income levels have experienced the challenges of rebuilding lives after a disaster or other emergency. In these stressful circumstances, having access to personal financial, insurance, medical, and other records, is crucial for starting the process of recovery quickly and efficiently. It is also important to have access to money to purchase necessary supplies, fuel, and/or food.
NOW is the time to collect and secure critical records that will give you peace of mind in the event of an emergency. Explore financial institutions with emergency savings accounts products and services for you and your family members to save money to be used in any crisis.
Ready.gov encourages Americans keep a small amount of cash at home in a safe place. It is important to have small bills on hand because ATM’s and credit cards may not work during a disaster.
To help Americans take the important steps in financial preparedness for disasters, FEMA and Operation HOPE partnered to provide a flexible tool with helpful tips and suggestions regarding how to safeguard important information in case of an emergency. Designed to help individuals and families get on the road to recovery without unnecessary delays, the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) is available for free from U.S. DHS FEMA. Call 800-480-2520 and ask for EFFAK Document #532. It is also available as a free download online at www.ready.gov/financial-preparedness and www.operationhope.org/hope-coalition-america.
To test your emergency preparedness level, consider taking this 10-question Are You Ready? Disaster Financial Recovery Score Survey: http://dfrscore.org.
Are you trying to save money? Let Military Saves help you reach your savings and debt reduction goals. It all starts when you make a commitment to yourself to save. We'll keep you motivated with information, advice, tips, and reminders to help you reach your savings goal. Think of us as your own personal support system.
@JenaOpHOPE discusses the importance of building an emergency savings fund >> http://bit.ly/2sT5vZ1 @MilitarySaves
