So You’ve Survived

an asteroid, earthquake, flooding, wildfire, the zombie apocalypse, or some other disaster. Your family and pets made it out safely, but you lost everything. What do you wish you’d been able to save? If you’re like most people, the number one answer is: family photos and videos.

As you’re strategizing for disaster preparedness, be sure to take steps now to ensure that you don’t lose the one thing insurance companies can’t replace — your most precious memories. It’s easier than ever now that we’re in the digital age to keep your photos from being lost forever.

Start by making it a habit to transfer photos and videos from your camera or cell phone to your computer. You should do this on a regular basis, especially after a special event like a vacation, wedding, or birthday. Don’t forget about your old print photos. Digitize them now to ensure they are not lost forever.

But don’t stop there — computers can suffer hard drive failure, viruses, or be stolen or lost in a disaster. There are several options for backing up your computer now that it’s the storage device of choice.

External hard drives are one option for backing up your computer. They can be setup to automatically back-up your computer on a regular basis. One small problem with this solution — if the drive is kept near your computer it could be lost too if your house is destroyed. An answer to this problem is to maintain two external hard drives. Keep one at home and one at work, and rotate them on a regular basis.

Files can also be saved to CD’s, DVD’s, or flash drives, however, all of these devices are subject to problems and failures. Also be aware of the lifespan of technology and the need to maintain compatibility with a means of viewing the files. Anyone remember the floppy disk or BetaMax?

In addition to protecting valuables and important papers, fire and burglar proof safes are another option for protecting a hard drive or old negatives. Electronic media storage devices are very susceptible to degradation when exposed to heat, so be sure to check the fire ratings before you purchase. You should also consider protection against flooding and water damage if you live in an area where this might occur.

Another option that can be used either alone or in combination with an external hard drive is the use of cloud services. A number of companies offer automatic and continuous back-up services. Keep in mind that most have data limitations and the storage fees can be significant. For iPhone users, Apple’s iCloud service backs up your phone and syncs with other devices. If lost or stolen, you simply buy a new phone and sync to your account.

Some of the top-rated cloud storage services for 2017 include: iDrive, SugarSync, Microsoft One Drive, Spider Oak ONE, CertainSafe Digital Safety Box, Google Drive, Apple iCloud Drive, Box (Personal), and Dropbox. Stay tuned to this space for future articles on the benefits, costs, and differences of each.