A website called ClanGistics helps families organize vital information

When a family member suffers a life-threatening medical emergency, often the rest of the family is in shock, too. Yet much needs to be done, including the gathering of the hospitalized person's directives, such as power of attorney and wills, as well as information on insurance plans, prescriptions, utility bills and other documents.

"It can be complicated, especially if you're in a crisis situation," said Jon Hull, who with his wife Terrie is co-founder of ClanGistics, an online family emergency planning system.

In most such situations, families end up rifling through the drawers of the loved ones' desks and bureaus, trying to find everything.

That's what happened to the Hulls in 2011 after Terrie's mother was in a serious car accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

"It can be mind numbing when a family isn't prepared," Terrie said.

Her mother's crisis meant that Terrie needed to assume power of attorney — and find her mother's long-term care insurance papers, among other documents.

"Long-term care insurance will not proceed without the original documents," Terri said. "Fortunately, we had those things."

This wasn't the first time the couple, who live in outer East Portland, had to take over the detailed responsibilities associated with an incapacitated parent. Several years ago, Jon's father had a stroke and his mother developed Alzheimer's.

But Terrie's mother's accident was the tipping point for the Hulls. "Friends said to us, 'Gee, if that happened to me I don't know what I'd do,'" Terrie recalled.

The couple, who have management backgrounds in education and real estate, decided to share with others what they had learned through experience. They started ClanGistics (clangistics.com), an encrypted website for singles, families with aging parents, travelers, families who are spread out geographically and families in disaster-prone areas. The mission of ClanGistics is to make emergency information easy to share among family members through a virtual filing cabinet of important information.

"This information can be instantly accessed with the Internet free from anywhere in the world," Jon said, adding that his company soon will add a mobile application.

For a fee based on how many share access to files, ClanGistics members engage in a simple three-step system that offers some peace of mind in case of a crisis. Files can vary, based on members' needs, and could include, for example, a file titled, "In case something happens to mom and dad," Terrie said.

Members enter whatever emergency information they want, such as medical and insurance information, attorney contacts, and even a list of household furnishings. The latter details can be valuable if a tornado or fire destroys the home.

"We started ClanGistics to bring families together, but we're seeing a swing in states with natural disasters," Jon said.

Members can print out their information — and should do so, Terrie advised. She also recommended fire- and waterproof safes or safety deposit boxes to store original documents, including passports, titles and deeds, policies and copies of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security cards (front and back).

"If one person doesn't have to have as much stress in their lives because they have this information, that will be the reward for us," Terrie said.