HURRICANE TIPS FOR TECH GADGETS & GEAR
By Michael Garfield – The High Tech Texan ®
Back it up. If you haven’t made a backup of your crucial data, do so now. It’s a good idea to make a 
second backup that moves your data offsite — either to online storage, or to a secure, physical location. If you are evacuating a coastal home, consider removing the hard drives from your PCs and taking them with you, stored in plastic bags and protected from physical shock.
Write it down. If you don’t have power, but can get online from another location, make sure you have your various passwords so you can check e-mail and e-commerce accounts.
Move it up. Got a desktop computers on the floor under a desk? Move it up onto the desk. Do the same with any electronics, including surge protectors and uninterruptible power supplies.
Unplug it. When lightning starts flashing around you, don’t just turn off your electronics — unplug them. A surge protector won’t do much against a direct lightning strike, and even a UPS isn’t a guarantee against damage. In fact, move the devices’ plugs as far away from the outlets as you can. A direct strike can cause electricity to arc between the outlet and the nearby plug’s prongs.
Disconnect it. In addition to unplugging from electrical outlets, also unplug any phone and cable connections. It’s also not a bad idea to disconnect the cables between computers on a home network.
Charge it. Make sure your notebook computer and cell phone batteries are fully charged, just as you’ll want to keep your car’s gas tank filled. Of course, if you’re without power, you may not have broadband Internet access, either. In that case, make a note now of the nearby public libraries, which might have power while you don’t, and may have Wi-Fi available.
Have an alternative way to charge your cell phone, such as a car charger, a solar charger or a battery powered cell phone charger. Another option is a power inverter which plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter and allows you to plug in an electronic device.
Cover it. In a really bad storm with high winds that could damage roofs and allow water to enter your home, consider covering your electronics in plastic. Move them to a central location of your home and off the floor. This may be good advice even in a tropical storm, which can still spawn tornadoes, even if the storm’s sustained winds aren’t that bad.
After the storm
Dry it out. If your home took in any water during the storm, wait several days before plugging in electronics. Plugging a computer into a wet outlet can be devastating. Test outlets first by plugging something expendable into them, such as a table lamp, before trying your electronics.
Text to get through. Cellular networks will most likely be overloaded and many calls may not be able to go through. Text messages are easier to be sent and delivered as they take up much less data on the network plus you can see if the message has been sent.
Keep unplugged until power is on. Just because the storm has passed does not mean your electronics are safe. If your power is not on keep your gadgets unplugged so when power does return nothing can be damaged due to a potential surge.
Email, post or blog if possible. Letting family and friends know you are safe is important. If you can’t get cell or text service, try to find a friend, library or local business with a computer or Internet connection. Send at least one email to a friend or relative letting them know your status or post a message on a blog or social network like Twitter, Facebook or MySpace.
If your cell phone has a camera, use it to take “before” and “after” pictures of your valuables for inventory and insurance purposes. If your property gets damaged, use your phone or digital camera to document the damage. You could also upload pictures from your cell phone or a digital camera to an online photo site such as Flickr or Snapfish. If your property gets damaged, use your phone or digital camera to document the damage.
For media interviews, please contact Michael Garfield