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.

DriveSavers, Inc., the worldwide leader in data recovery services, provided the following tips on ways to safeguard your electronic devices in anticipation for severe weather and natural disasters.

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.

Seal Your Gadgets

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.

Keep Your Cell

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.

Protect Your Photos

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.

Back It Up

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.

While these tips can be helpful in protecting your important business files, personal photos, contact files and other vital data, should you ever experience a data loss of any kind the experts at DriveSavers are always available to get it back.