Protect Your Possessions

With that in mind, the first step isn't to make a long, detailed list. The first thing you want to do is take your camera or video recorder and walk through your house and get everything on film. If you are using a video camera, also describe everything as you make the video. Don't forget to get close-up shots of all your high-value items and to open drawers and boxes where items are stored. You should be able to accomplish this in about an hour.

The next step is to upload the photos or video onto your computer and then send them to yourself as an attachment to one of the free Web-based email addresses (Google's Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, MSN Hotmail or something similar). In the past, people were always told to store a copy of this information in a safety deposit box or at a friend's house. That works fine when the incident is confined to your house but doesn't work so well when a hurricane strikes. Having all the information stored in cyberspace can help ensure that you still have access to your records even in the event of a widespread disaster.

These two steps have accomplished the minimum documentation you need, and you now have visual (and audio if you used a video) proof of your belongings. While there may be some hitches when making a claim, at least you have proof to argue your case and have taken steps to make sure you don't forget to claim something.