As illustrated by recent wildfires, floods and other violent storm
systems, natural disasters can strike anywhere, anytime. Would you be
prepared in the event of an emergency? What about your computers,
smartphone, tablet or digital camera and the valuable files stored on
those devices? Surprisingly, many people are not aware of how easily our
digital devices can be damaged, and that there are simple steps to help
protect them.
- Unplug Critical Electronics
If there’s a storm brewing in your area and you don’t own a surge
protector or an uninterruptable power supply (UPS), it’s a good idea to
unplug your computer, printers and other electronic devices from their
wall sockets. This will ensure that your electronics are protected from
power spikes and outages that may affect your home or office.
Keep emergency electronics such as a battery-operated radio and
flashlight, sealed in a Ziploc-type bag, and stored in a safe dry space.
This will help ensure that your emergency essentials will be working
and at ready to use if you experience a flood or water damage.
Use your cellphone to store emergency contact numbers and family
contacts. If your cellphone has a camera you can also use it to take
before and after pictures for insurance purposes.
Extend the life of your digital camera cards by using the plastic
case that came with the original package. Carrying a card in your pocket
without protection can cause static buildup that can zap the card and
make it unreadable.
The best way to protect yourself and your irreplaceable data files is
by backing up. This will help guard against data loss when (not if)
your hard drive crashes unexpectedly. In addition, it’s recommended that
you also make additional backup copies of your data to other types of
storage media and keep the duplicate copies offsite in a secure
location, because you can never be too safe with your critical data.
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