Your Estate Planning Hurricane Box
In Florida, no one has a basement; it is simply not possible to build a basement into the limestone. Likewise, most people do not have a proper attic. Every Florida household has a hurricane box, however; depending on how much space you have in your house or apartment, you might keep it in your garage or in a closet in the bedroom. Hurricane boxes contain a stash of supplies if your house is in the part of a hurricane’s path where you do not have to evacuate, but you may be without power for several days. Therefore, your hurricane box should contain a battery-operated radio and flashlights, spare batteries, matches, candles, and camping stoves. A hurricane box can help you get through the disruption caused by a brief period of hurricane-force winds, but if you are in the direct path of a major storm, you must evacuate close your hurricane shutters, head for higher ground, and just hope that your house is still standing when blue skies appear again over your part of Florida. You will need to protect your estate planning documents, too, and make backup plans for your medical care and your property if you end up in the path of a storm that results in more than just an extended power outage. For help hurricane proofing your estate plan, contact an Orlando estate planning lawyer.
Keep Physical and Electronic Copies of Your Estate Planning Documents in Hurricane-Proof Locations
The personal representative of a deceased person’s estate must provide an original of the decedent’s will, bearing the signatures of the testator and two witnesses, to open the estate for probate; a forwarded email with a Word document of the will does not suffice. If you keep an original of your will at home, you should keep it in a safe or similarly flood-proof box; a cardboard box on the floor of your garage will not protect your will in the event of hurricane-related flooding. Even better, also keep a duplicate of your will at your estate planning lawyer’s office.
Likewise, back up the estate planning-related files on your computer to a cloud-based service. This way you can access them if your devices suffer hurricane damage or run out of charge during a power outage.
Put Your Plans in Writing for Your Hurricane Emergency Care
What if you have to stay away from your familiar surroundings for an extended period because of a hurricane evacuation? Make sure that the people you trust to be responsible for your care know what you want them to do, before disaster strikes, so you can get through the hurricane emergency with as little disruption as possible. Put your plans in writing regarding nursing home care, homeowners’ insurance claims, and other issues your caregivers will have to face if your house or long-term care facility gets hit by a hurricane.
Contact Gierach and Gierach About Estate Planning for Floridians
An estate planning lawyer can help you prepare to weather the storms that frequently affect Florida. Contact Gierach and Gierach, P.A. in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.
Source:
legalzoom.com/articles/how-natural-disasters-stress-the-need-for-estate-planning
