After witnessing a neighbor's house being destroyed in a fire, my wife and I talked about what would be the worst things to lose if our house was destroyed. We decided that family photos are the one thing we could not replace and next to our lives are the one thing we would hate most to lose. We have since kept our photo negatives, heirloom family photos and CD's of our digital photos in a safety deposit box at our bank.
BTW-- in your preparedness kit don't forget to include a few days supply of any medications you take regularly and their prescription numbers.
Great post. I also suggest extra disposable contact lenses for those as blind as me. Many of us would be in a real bind without backup.