My local library sent out a newsletter stating the following:
Making a personal emergency plan and kit does not need to be all consuming. Take it in manageable bits—add to it each month until you have all of the components assembled. There are many easy items to add from the outset to pack in your kit…
Library card, yes your library card will make it easy to contact friends/family or do business on-line at the library after an emergency
This is brilliant.
In addition to all the basic survival gear and paperwork, including identity and insurance cards tucked into a water tight zip lock bag, add your library card. Makes complete sense.
While a local library may be facing the same disaster circumstances you are, they might be among the earliest refugee and emergency shelter locations to be back up and running. With your library card, you can get online and communicate with friends and family, contact authorities and insurance agencies, but also research how to handle the situation.
Libraries are fantastic resources, so keep a copy of your library card in your emergency kit. You never know, and if you need to know, a library is the place to start learning.