The issue I ran into is the official copy from the county said "copy" on it and the dmv wanted the original. Which doesn't make any sense as the same state (OH) whose dmv wanted the original didn't even send me the original for my son, his says copy on it too. I ended up going to a different DMV and they took the copy, luckily the first one hadn't destroyed my old license yet, thats the nice thing about .gov places you can always get as many different interpretations of the rules/laws as you need to get the one you like <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I think that would be a great question to ask the bank manager, or whoever is renting you the SD box.
I know mine has a plastic water resistant box inside the actual steel frame. I believe there may be a gasket on the door itself.
Wouldn't matter in Katrina conditons, but in a wind event, I am guessing the safety deposit box wall has lockdown, sprinklers, video survalance and possibly other redundant safeguards not made pulic.
Bottom line, it is a strong box several levels harder than anything in my home.
BTW, When I signed up for mine, I (a white middle aged guy from the burbs) told the banker I was looking for a safe place to "crib my bling"... the guy never cracked a smile and showed me a bunch of the safeguards in place, while my wife stood off to the side rolling her eyes and shaking her head at her idiot husband... As she says, "Men are idiots and I married their king!"

Oh, 1 more observation-
Looks like the guy who sells blue tarp in Central FL is going to make quota this quarter.
Any ETS readers ever had an emergency tarping project?
What are the ABC'c of being prepared, ready and organized in the unlikely event you needed to tarp a storm damaged roof?

I'd be wary of keeping ID anywhere but on my person (or locked up in a secure location).

Identity thieves are active everywhere. Having your identity stolen is a man-made disaster in itself. Apparently it's a nightmare to get everything straightened out -- it can take years.

Just a consideration.

We have two copies of birth certificates for everyone in the family. One in the house safe and one at the closest bank branch. Our SS cards and passports are at the bank too. After Katria, I've often thought of getting official copies to some out-of-state relatives, but that's probably overkill for us. The more copies you have floating around, the more open you are to identity theft.

My bank debit/credit card has my photo on it, which sometimes gets accepted as photo ID. I don't keep a spare license, but I've thought about it. You could also look into getting just a state ID card from the DMV. Those might be more lax as far as issuing duplicates.

There are several legitimate websites where you can easily order a birth certificate from your home county. At least it was easy for us. I'm sure some people run into complications.

I use the bank of my Aunt Norma in Ohio deposit box... works great and no fees. Might take a couple of days to get things back from her though. -Gary

I'm a stay with the vehicle as long as it is reasonable kind of guy. I have far more gear in the Yukon than I can easily carry. I also have a pack in the Yukon for when I might have to select the gear I want and leave the vehicle.

I recently can across a statistic that says you typically spend 80 hours trying to recover from a simple ID theft.

Emergency tarping: I learned a few things from watching the people around here do it the wrong way.

First, have your tarps before you need them. Find a sale, get what you want, then put them somewhere you can find them easily if you need them in a hurry, and make sure family and friends understand that they are NOT available for non-emergencies.

Also have on hand a bunch of cheap lumber. I used 1x3s that worked fine. They were 10 ft long, could have been longer, but they were free. These are to hold the tarps down. Nailing tarps down without wood strips is a waste of time, money and effort.

I tied cheap rope onto the corners of the tarp and let them hang down. I used these to maneuver the tarps mostly into position from the ground. (I'm pretty sure this won't work if the wind is blowing.) Spread out the tarp(s), overlap by a foot or so if necessary, lay the wood just inside the edges and nail or screw them down. Once this is done, lay more strips across the body of the tarp and anchor them, too.

If you just need to cover one side of the roof, be sure to start the tarp at least a foot or more on the OTHER side of the peak. I don't know how many times I've seen people lay tarps on their roof starting a foot or two below the peak, which lets the water run under the tarp.

You can do the same with windows of stick-built homes, but if you're going to be living in them, some heavy clear plastic would probably be better. Use the wood strips here, too.

If you're in a metal mobile home, use heavy plastic and duct tape. The metal and the plastic both have to be dry. Anchor all the edges first, then lay strips of duct tape across the middle for strength, probably every 12-18-24", depending on the wind. Do it vertically and horizontally.

Others here may have more suggestions.

Sue

I keep an old college ID card around for that purpose. It is issued by a state agency, the college isn't going anywhere, it has a unique ID number that isn't used for anything else, and I can use it get into the credit system becuase I have a way into my loans through thier financial aid office. And I'll be remembered long enough that if they ask around, they'll find someine in ten minutes who can describe me and confirm the picture on the card is me. And the alumni office has my perminant address on file.

And it still works to let me into computer labs. Until they revamp the system entirely, it still will, so if I can get there, I've got shelter and communications.