Summer brings a lot of wonderful things. Baseball is heating up, summer flex hours at work (for the lucky), blossoming flowers, and cook-outs. However, for us residents of (sometimes) sunny South Florida, it also signals hurricane season. We do a pretty good job of shuttering windows, storing food and water, and getting an early warning, but all too often electronics are neglected and destroyed by the rain and flooding. The average home computer contains precious pictures and videos, important tax and financial documents, and passwords that if lost will be difficult, if not impossible to recover. A bit of planning ahead of time can protect your electronics and give you one less thing to worry about during these most troublesome of times. In the following list we’ll let you in on some methods for lessening the burden on your electronics the next time we receive a hurricane warning.
Prepare your electronics:
Having your computer under the desk makes good aesthetic sense, but means only an inch or two of water can cause serious damage. When preparing for a storm make sure your electronics are unplugged, elevated, away from doors and windows, and covered in plastic. When covering them make sure not to block any cooling fans for devices remaining plugged in.
Back up important data off-site:
Family pictures, videos, and important documents have shifted from physical items to computer data. This means there may be no drying them out once the storm passes. Important financial data, pictures, movies, and more should all be backed-up off-site. Owners of Apple computers even have an easy integrated option to do this. PC users can easily set up a hosting or data back-up account as well. For more about data back-up consult
your I.T. provider.
Invest in a UPS:
When you lose power, whether it be from lightning or downed lines, electronics that are on can get severely damaged. The power supplies on these products can often not handle spikes, surges, and sudden outages. A UPS, or uninterrupted power supply, protects against surges and gives you the time needed to properly power down devices during a brown or black out. These can be purchased at electronics stores such as Tiger Direct or Best Buy.
Have numbers on hand:
That PDA, BlackBerry, or iPhone won’t get you very far when the power goes out and the batteries are drained. This is why there is no replacement for a good old fashioned Rolodex or notepad with important numbers. Beyond friends and family some other numbers you should have are:
Florida Emergency Information Line: Provides information on road closures, shelters, and re-entry information. (800) 342-3557
American Red Cross – Central Miami Branch: The Red Cross helps families recover from disaster. They provide beds, food, and shelter to those most in need. (305) 644-1200
FEMA: Disaster Assistance Line: A good national resource for where to seek help during a hurricane or storm. (800) 621-3362
Florida Power & Light: Report downed power lines promptly. (305) 442-8770
I hope this helps. Just a few things business owners can do to minimize downtime. If you need any assistance, or more info, feel free to contact SDSol with any questions.
Robert W. Peck
rpeck@sdsol.com
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Bobby Peck is Marketing Manager for SDSol Technologies (www.sdsol.com).
SDSol provides IT support, online development, and custom applications to the Miami area.
