Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Let's face it, if you were ever forced to evacuate your home, the last thing you'd want to grab on your way out is your file of important papers. But if all your important documents were already scanned onto a secured Web site, you wouldn't have to worry about them, says Daroff, who scans his clients' documents using eMoney.com, a financial planning Web site.

As long as that information is backed up at a different location -- not the computer in the next room -- you will eventually have access to all of it.

Scan everything -- not just your homeowner's insurance policy. Include your life insurance, disability and car insurance policies. Scan legal documents for wills and trusts and your brokerage statements. Be sure to add a copy of your license, medical cards and a list of your credit card numbers. And scan the photos of you and your worldly possessions as well. Then, if any of those documents are destroyed, there will be a record of it in cyberspace.

Companies like Hewlett-Packard (HPQ Quote) and Microsoft (MSFT Quote) offer back-up products for individuals, so be sure to check them out.

If it sounds like too much of an effort, just think about all those people in New Orleans trying to make insurance claims without proof that they ever had insurance to begin with. That should be motivation enough to do it.

Of course, you could also make copies of everything and send it to a trustworthy relative or friend who lives out of your area. But whether you scan your documents or mail them cross-country, be sure to update them each time a policy, credit card or the living room furniture is changed.

"We're Here!"

Even if you can't afford a second home, you still need an evacuation plan. And it's not just for folks who live in an area that's been threatened with natural disasters, like California or Florida. If you live near a nuclear power plant, important building or any other monument that may be a target for destruction, you need a place to go outside of your area.