Citizen Corps
Uniting Communities - Preparing the Nation
Contact | Locate Your Council | Council Login
| 
| 
Money Matters
Introduction
Research shows that while 71% of households reported having copies of important financial documents in a safe place, only 1% specifically mentioned the documents as being part of their household disaster supplies. Only 2% of households reported having cash as part of their disaster preparedness supplies. Pre-disaster financial planning is essential for individuals and families to complete because disasters leave many Americans without access to finances or with expensive damages.
We welcome suggestions for the Portal! If you find a good preparedness tool, please email it to citizencorps@dhs.gov.
We encourage the use of websites that are accessible to people with access and functional needs. For guidance on creating Section 508 compliant online materials refer to the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards. For further information on emergency management and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, please review this webinar from the Citizen Corps Community Preparedness Webinar Series.
Disclaimer
The resources listed here are purely for reference, are from publicly available sources, and intended to provide preparedness guidance, tools, and publications. FEMA does not necessarily endorse the views expressed or the facts presented on any linked external, third-party website. Nor does FEMA endorse any non-Federal government entity, service, or organization including but not limited to any commercial products.
Resources
- Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) - The EFFAK is a simple tool designed to assist you and your family in being financially prepared before a disaster strikes and maintaining financial stability in the event of an emergency. EFFAK helps you to identify and organize key financial records and provides a quick reference file for your most important financial documents. One kit per household is recommended, although in the event one kit is used for a couple, all joint and separate accounts and liabilities should be included.
- Ready Business from Ready.gov
- Avoiding Loan Scams after a Natural Disaster and How to Report Scam Artists from the FEMA blog
- Operation HOPE - Operation HOPE is a Citizen Corps Affiliate focusing on economic tools and services.
- Office of Disaster Assistance at the Small Business Administration (SBA)
- Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief for Individuals and Businesses from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- USDA Extension: “Preparing your Finances for Times of Disaster” webpage
- Go Direct from the US Department of the Treasury. This website lets users set up electronic deposits for Federal checks and payments.
- Recovery After Disaster: The Family Financial Recovery Toolkit Provided by the University of Minnesota, through a Special Needs Grant from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture.
Relevant Webinars
These webinars from CItizen Corps' Community Preparedness Webinar Series may provide additional useful information:
- Financial Emergency Preparedness - May 3, 2011
- National Financial Literacy Month: Operation HOPE and Emergency Financial Preparedness - April 1, 2010
Plug-ins Required
Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them. Links to the plug-ins are available below.
