I’d like to think that if I had to axe my way out of my attic to get onto my roof and escape flood waters, I’d have the foresight to grab my wallet.
Yeah right… with rushing water coming into my house and no thought but survival? It would likely be way down on the ground floor or something.
Lucky for me, a helicopter comes by and takes me to safety. All fine and good. But afterwards, how do I prove who I am with no driver’s license or identification of any kind–nothing but the (very soggy) clothes on my back?
I suppose family members would vouch for me. Would that be enough to get a new ID? Until they did, I’d be pretty much destitute. I couldn’t get money from the bank (no ID or ATM card). I couldn’t even pick up money wired to me since I’d have nothing to prove I am who I say I am.
God, how I hate it when people call it that. “Social” is adjective which is most often not used in reference to the Social Security system. It sounds so uneducated. Surely the call centers could chop off a syllable or two elsewhere in their scripts and have them say SSN or some such thing.
Huh? After a helicopter rescued you THIS is what you’d worry about? Earlier this year I staggered into a hospital ER with acute renal failure. I actually did have my MI Drivers License, and showed it to them. I don’t know what difference it would have been other than prove I wasn’t lying when I said I was dirt poor. They furrther diagnosed me as having a heart attack, and wanted to rush me to the ER for an angioplasty.
Wouldn’t things be the same if rescued from death by a helicopter? Would they have thrrown you on the street to die? I only got out of the hospital after (perhaps foolishly) demanding my legal rights. I’d have been there at least a few weeks if let them do what the docs ordered.
It’s relatively easy to rebuild your identity. First thing you ought to do is contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the city of your birth and request an original copy of your birth certificate. You’ll need to supply your name as well as your parent’s names. Typically, this will cost you somewhere around $10-$15. When you get it, take it to the local Social Security Administration office and request a replacement Social Security card. I believe these are free of charge. Once you have these two items, you can set about getting your driver’s license or state ID replaced. Some states require a second form off ID, so you’ll need to check with them to find out exactly what you need. In many cases, the only option open would be something like school records, which are also relatively easily obtained (I got mine mailed by calling on the phone, within a few days). Bank and credit cards are generally easier to replace, and can usually be done over the phone.
IIRC, you can also establish your identity by having someone who knows you swear under oath that you are who you say you are.
There may be certain qualifications to this. The sworn person, I think, has to be a citizen who has lived in the community for at least one year. It’s also possible that you need two people and not just one.
That’s all from memory though. I tried a quick google search to find a cite, but wasn’t able to get a hit… maybe somone else can contribute further along these lines.
It is called an Affidavit of Identity. Here (Warning: PDF Document) is one for the state of Minnesota, as an example. In this instance, one witness who has known the claimant for a minimum of two years is required.
Don’t know about anybody else, but when I had a state of Maine drivers license, they somehow stored my picture on the computer in my file, I had to get a replacement and they didnt need to do anything except hit ‘print’ buyt then again, I have my military ID and drivers license in my wallet in my purse, which stays within easy reach of me at pretty much all times [also has my glucometer and metformin and pain meds so I am really certain where it is all the time] and so any time i have to go anywhere fast, i just need to grab my purse. I suppose if I were really paranoid, I could take my passport and international drivers license, and birth certificate and keep them in there as well for maximum paranoia=)
Interesting question. I live in a country that is registering people to vote for the first time since forever. Everyone is a new voter since there haven’t been real voter rolls for decades and even that one “election” was a single vote for one candidate. Plus the govt bureaucracy has been really nonexistent for years - except for issuing passports and fake drivers licenses, there really isn’t a universal ID card.
So what does the electoral commission do? You have to bring five people who can vouch for you if you do not have some paperwork that clearly identifies you as you.
Another avenue for ID establishment not mentioned is via fingerprint. Many of us at one time or another have been fingerprinted for non-criminal reasons such as a security clearance. Unlike my American Express card, I don’t leave home without my fingers.
