Emergency Assistance

What should you do in case an emergency happens while you are traveling? Call your sponsor and your new command. Ensure that they know where you are and what the situation is. In order to do this, you must keep all the new telephone numbers with you.

Depending on how serious the emergency is, contact the American Red Cross. They are always available for emergency aid anywhere you may be. Contact the nearest chapter. They can sometimes help with emergency financial assistance and contact individuals that will need to know where you are and what's happening. American Red Cross: 800-733-2767 Select: Option 4. Listen to the different options and select which option best suits your situation.

Call your immediate family to let them know the situation.

Navy Marine Corps Relief Society can also be of assistance. For more on emergency planning visit: Ready Navy

Here are a few things you can do to better prepare for travel and emergencies:

• Make sure that you have all of important documents (e.g. birth certificates, social security cards, citizenship paperwork, medical records, list of important phone numbers etc.) within reach.
• Make preparations before you leave to insure that your automobile is in good mechanical order.
• Make sure that you have an emergency first aid kit with you for minor emergencies.

Depending on how serious the emergency is, contact the American Red Cross. They are always available for emergency aid anywhere you may be. Contact the nearest chapter (phone numbers are usually listed in the white pages of the local phone directory). They can sometimes help with emergency financial assistance and contact individuals that will need to know where you are and what's happening.

The Red Cross can also help you prepare your family, your pets and your home for common emergencies and natural disasters. Visit their website for information about emergencies that can occur where you live, and learn the difference between a "watch" and a "warning." Get tips for preparedness steps you can take today, what to do in an emergency and how to repair and rebuild afterward.

Contact the American Red Cross directly at 800-733-2767.

It is helpful to have the following information ready about the service member when you call:

• Full name
• Rank/rating
• Branch of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard)
• Social Security Number or Date of Birth
• Military address
• Information about the deployed unit and home base unit (for deployed service members only)

Navy Marine Corps Relief Society can provide financial emergency assistance based upon need, through either loans or, when there is a particular hardship, grants. Categories of financial assistance include: basic living expenses (food, shelter, utilities), medical not covered by TRICARE, dental not covered by Concordia, funeral expenses, emergency transportation, essential car repairs, pay and allotment problems and disasters and assistance for widows, mothers and children.

To reach the local NMCRS, call 301-342-4739 or 202-433-3364 (Washington Navy Yard office). To reach the Dahlgren, VA NMCRS, call 540-845-1757.

Make sure you have all your important papers and documents with you. If you are in-transit and need emergency assistance, locate the nearest military installation for help. If there is no installation in the area, call the local information operator emergency numbers.

Vital Records: Driver's licenses, birth certificates, adoption papers, Social Security cards, passports, citizenship papers (such as a "green card" or naturalization documents), marriage license, divorce decrees, child custody papers, current military ID, military discharge (DD Form 214), medical and vaccination records for pets along with current photos and ID chip numbers in case you are separated.

• Insurance Policies: Homeowners, renters, flood, earthquake, auto, life, health, disability, long-term care; have at least the policy number and insurance company contact information for each type of coverage.

Keep Your Important Documents Safe from a Disaster

• Property Records: Real estate deeds of trust and mortgage documents (at least the two-page settlement statement provided by the title company showing the actual cost of the house and purchase expenses); rental agreement or lease; auto/boat/RV registration and titles; video, photos or a list of household inventory.
• Medical Information: Immunization and other medical records, prescription information (drug name and dosage), health insurance identification cards, physician names and phone numbers, powers-of-attorney for health care, and living wills.
• Estate planning documents: Wills, trusts, funeral instructions, powers-of-attorney, attorney names and phone numbers.
• Financial records: First two pages of your previous year's federal and state tax returns, stock and bond certificates, investment records, brokerage and retirement account information, credit card, checking and savings account numbers, contact information for credit unions, banks, financial institutions, credit card companies and financial advisers.
• Other: Personal address book, a letter with instructions for family or friends (for use in a situation where you're not present), backups of important computer files, a list of usernames and passwords for online accounts, a key to your safe deposit box, a recent photograph, fingerprints and dental records for each member of the household (some police stations and nonprofits fingerprint children free);, account and contact information for utilities and other services (you may have to provide a new billing address or cancel certain services), a list of important documents and where originals and copies are located.

You can also visit FEMA and the American Red Cross for helpful information.