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Preparedness Quick Tip #19 – Save Your Computer Files on Your Thumb!

If you had a short or long term local disaster, would you be able to access your computer files? Do you have your emergency documents available somewhere else other than your own personal computer? Make a plan to back them up to a secondary source! Here are some options:
PQT #19 - Not all emergencies will mean that electronics are non-fuctioning. Keep your important documents, photos and files on a thumb or zip drive. Read more at darcy-baldwin.com

This week’s Preparedness Quick Tip is all about your e-memory. While we always read about post apocalyptic scenarios where there are no working electronics because of an EMP or other disaster, the likelihood of your own personal disaster or local one creating a situation where no one has computers any longer is small. However, you may be involved in a natural disaster or a house fire or even a burglary where you no longer have access to your own computer any longer. Even a minor thing like a computer hard drive failure is cause enough to lose everything.

Save Your Computer Files to a Secondary Drive

Keep your most treasured photos, files, documents and records on a backup drive of some sort, whether it’s on a cloud or backup system if you’re comfortable with that, an external hard drive, or even a flash drive. None are guaranteed to last for life, so these should never be your sole source of backup, but they are handy to keep in your emergency bag or even on a keychain just in case.

External Hard Drives

You can get external hard drives so inexpensively now. They aren’t always as reliable as internal hard drives, so be sure to get the best rated one that you can. Here is the best rated list from PC Magazine. This allows you to put a massive amount of data on and keep handy at your desk, or transport as needed.

Flash Drives

Flash drives are inexpensive and can carry a lot of information so they’re  a great choice to have multiples of to carry in case one fails or you don’t have a particular bag with you. They are not meant for permanent storage, though you can. They come in handy for moving files around, loading media up for car trips, and having your emergency information stored for emergencies. They also lend themselves to have multiple backups for the whole family or many locations.

SanDisk Cruzer Fit CZ33 32GB USB 2.0 Low-Profile Flash Drive-...

This is a tiny thumb drive or flash drive that you can hide away anywhere.

Kingston Digital 32GB Data Traveler 3.0 USB Flash Drive, Red...

This is a model that’s a little larger and can fit on a keychain, and you won’t lose the cap because it has a rotating cap that stays attached!

There are a host of good drives that you can find. Get the biggest you can afford and get a few to have the duplicate backup.


SAVE YOUR COMPUTER FILES TO CLOUD STORAGE

You can also use cloud storage on any number of data backup sites on the web. This will allow you access to your files anywhere in the world if you can just get online. Whether you use Google, Back Blaze, Amazon, Dropbox or a plethora of other services, make sure you can access from different locations and that you understand their download requirements. Here’s a list of the Top 10 Personal Cloud Storage Services.

Just remember, with any of these drives, keep them away from magnets, water and debris!

Quick, easy, cheap! You can do this one today!

See the rest of the Preparedness Quick Tips here:

Emergency Quick Tips from Mom with a Prep Blog

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Katy Willis is a writer, lifelong homesteader, and master herbalist, master gardener, and canine nutritionist. Katy is a preparedness expert and modern homesteader practicing everyday preparedness, sustainability, and a holistic lifestyle.

She knows how important it is to be prepared for whatever life throws at you, because you just never know what's coming. And preparedness helps you give your family the best chance to thrive in any situation.

Katy is passionate about living naturally, growing food, keeping livestock, foraging, and making and using herbal remedies. Katy is an experienced herbalist and a member of the CMA (Complementary Medical Association).

Her preparedness skills go beyond just being "ready", she's ready to survive the initial disaster, and thrive afterward, too. She grows 100% organic food on roughly 15 acres and raises goats, chickens, and ducks. She also lovingly tends her orchard, where she grows many different fruit trees. And, because she likes to know exactly what she's feeding her family, she's a seasoned from-scratch cook and gluten-free baker.

Katy teaches foraging and environmental education classes, too, including self-sufficient living, modern homesteading, seed saving, and organic vegetable gardening.

Katy helps others learn forgotten skills, including basic survival skills and self-reliance.

She's been published on sites such as MSN, Angi, Home Advisor, Family Handyman, Wealth of Geeks, Readers Digest, and more.

Last update on 2024-03-28 at 08:57 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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