Has this happened in your part of the world?
Feb 2, 2011: Cyclone Yasi was the largest and most powerful cyclone to hit Queensland in living memory. The storm was downgraded from a category five to a category four as it made landfall but it was still the strongest tropical storm to ever hit Australia. The cyclone was so large it would almost cover the United States.
We are so grateful that our house and studio haven’t gone with the wind. It simply blew my mind to see this force of nature wreak such havoc. Our hearts go out to those less fortunate.
In a natural disaster, preparation is everything. We hope the following tips will be useful for everyone.
- Back up important data somewhere other than an external hard drive. For real peace of mind, subscribe to an online data backup service, which lets you access your data from anywhere. SkyDrive gives you 25 GB of free online storage.
- Keep passports and other important documents in a safe deposit box.
- Scan all your important documents, including photos and receipts and store the scans on an online data backup service.
- For insurance purposes, take up-to-date photos of your property inside and out. Shoot each room and make sure you include before & after shots of renovations. Store these online at a free online photo service like Flickr or Picasa
- Photograph all valuable items, including jewellery, and create a list of hyperlinks to the product sites if the items are available online. Evernote will help you keep it all safe.
- Keep the plans of your property (including all measurements, structural and interior details) in digital files such as PDFs or CADs and store them online. If you don’t have plans, you can create your own with floorplanner (it’s free for personal use and don’t need to install software or plug-ins.)
- Spend the extra to properly insure your property.
Have you been affected by the natural disaster? What precautions did you take? Send us your comments:
Photo credits: Australia-Cyclone / news.com.au/cyclone-yasi / abc.net.au/news/photos
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14 comments:
This is a very timely post. I am not in an are that would be hit with earthquakes or hurricanes, but maybe a tornado. I have to admit that I have done very few things you have suggested here. These are all great tips. thx. ;-)
I've always considered where I live a 'no disaster zone' part of the world, but after the recent earthquake and hurricane in the US (I live in Toronto, Canada) I realize how out dated my way of thinking is! Your tips made me think of how important it is to have all these areas of our lives documented, backed up and accessible for natural disasters, but also any of life`s 'glitches'.
Suki, these are great tips! I do have an online date backup service but some of your other suggestions were completely new. I especially liked the suggestion to scan all of your important documents and store them on an online data backup service, and take up-to-date photos of our property inside and out for insurance purposes. We have not thought to do either of these and it would be easy to do. Thanks!
Thanks for the great tips, Suki. I agree with Jeanette's post....living in the NE of the US I didn't think much about devastating natural disasters, but this past week has definitely changed my way of thinking.
Your resources are fabulous....thanks again!
Tina
Love this post - great idea about the property photos! I use Backupify services for my online stuff but the photos of the house are brilliant. Jewels too - so smart! I'd have never thought of that.
Thank you. I never think about this stuff, so it's good to have the reminder. I use Evernote (actually love it), but never thought of using it for this purpose. Brilliant.
Suki
- wow I was just visiting Australia and was on the Gold Coast, but had not seen any of this devastation. I live in Northern California where earthquakes happen all time... As I read your blog, I had this thought: Why not get rid of everything and that way we don't have to worry about all our stuff - protecting it, insuring it, cataloguing it, etc... I know some people live in ways that if the sea comes through the living room it's just part of life and all can be replaced.... hmmm...
Suki, really good post here. Years ago I lost a bunch of stuff in a house fire and all of this applies to that situation. I would even suggest videoing each room and add some commentary about your stuff that would help an insurance adjuster during a claim. Most importanly, you are right that you need to be properly insured and unserstand what you are covered for and what you are not!
Suki, this is a really good post. I've got the backup part covered, I use mozy at the moment and have multiple raid drivers. But, need to work on all the other things you mentioned. Never thought of using Evernote for that purpose - very creative!
Thanks for every comments. Cyclone Yasi has been the wake up call for me. It was the first time that I had direct experience to natural disaster and lucky that I wasn't get any damage except losing power for 10 days.
As Laura Gates said, I really thought about getting rid of all the unnecessary items and try to live minimalist since then.
To Scott powers, thank you for the video suggestion. It's a great idea. You just give me something fun to do this weekend.
Awesome post. Several I had not really thought of. Love the use of evernote!
Great post Suki! Such great tips to take into account. Will definitely consider these and put them into action :) Thanks again. You rock! So creative you are.
xoxo
Alara
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