Disaster Preparedness for Data

Are you prepared for a data disaster? I thought I was, but I discovered some gaps in my preparations. Consider the impact on your life if a phone, desktop computer or laptop...

• suffered a catastrophic malfunction
• got lost or stolen
• got destroyed in a flood, fire or other disaster
• got confiscated
• got infected with ransomware

Would you still have access to all of your photos and contacts, for example? 

Why I Didn't Do Rooftop Solar, and What I Did Instead

I've long dreamed of getting solar panels to power our home. I think home based solar is an important part of solving our climate and energy problems, and I also like the idea of having quiet, instant backup power when there is an outage. 

Recently I dug deeper and got a detailed proposal from a solar power system installer.

As in all things, there are pros and cons.

A Comprehensive Overview of Prepping Using a Sensible Strategy

Although I own neither a survival knife nor an underground bunker, I am indeed a prepper.

But how, you ask, can someone be a prepper without an underground bunker?

The answer, my friends, is simple. After thorough application of my powers of prophecy, I remain wholly unconvinced that a bunker-worthy apocalyptic event is eminent.

Full disclosure: Although they haven't been officially tested recently, my powers of prophecy are likely rated in the "poor" to "fair" range.

You doubt my credentials? 

What more proof do you need?

Nonetheless, I've been studying and applying the prepping concept for years, and aside from the insufferable agony of running out of hazelnut flavored creamer, six weeks without restocking groceries would be easy peazy. Granted, I never served in the special forces, but I do have my canoeing merit badge and was only a couple ranks shy of Eagle Scout. Or was it three? Four max. Clearly my qualifications are formidable. So let's get on with it.

Get Home Bag Checklist

A "get home bag" is a set of supplies kept in the car or office that will help you get home in the event of a widespread disruption to normal transportation systems. Such a disruption might happen due to a severe weather event, natural disaster, man-made disaster, or other occurrences. While I'm not a survival expert, below is a list of some of the major categories of items that might be included, with examples of each. 

Building a Small Backup Solar Electric System

When Hurricane Maria hit and caused such hardship in Puerto Rico and other areas, I was inspired to review our disaster preparations. Although we live in a part of the world that is much less susceptible to that type of widespread devastation, we have experienced weather events that caused multi-day power outages, and it's not hard to imagine a scenario that could have more impact. We have a small generator, but gasoline is expensive and perishable, generators are noisy, and I suspect gasoline supply chains are more fragile than we'd like to think.

The answer, obviously, was to install solar panels.

What We Learned When the Well Went Out

Kate and I are relatively well-prepared for a temporary loss of services (e.g. power, water). You can read more about our preparations here and here. However, there's nothing like a trial run to help you iron out trouble spots in your planning.

This past winter we lost power for the better part of a day. Having no idea how long the outage would last, I went ahead and brought the camp stove, propane heater, and propane cartridges in from the shed. The stove and heater were filthy and required extensive cleaning before use. I now keep them inside, wrapped in old pillow cases so they will be ready to go. I was also reminded that propane cartridges don't work in very cold temperatures. I had to bring them into the house and let them warm up a bit before we could use them. Again, I now keep a couple inside so they are ready to go.*

Prepared or Paranoid?

Having descended even further into the black depths of internet paranoia (see The Urban Prepper, for example), I decided to make a Bug Out Bag.

A Bug Out Bag (a.k.a. "Grab and Go Bag" or 72- hour kit) is a set of evacuation supplies you would take if you had to leave the house in a hurry (e.g. earthquake, wildfire, flood, etc.). It should contain all the food and other items you would need to survive for a few days.

It should also, according to many, contain all the weaponry you need to fight off zombies or space aliens. Since all the reports of zombie and space alien sitings are unconfirmed, you'll have to speculate on the best weaponry. After extensive study (I watched Signs and War of the Worlds, as I felt space aliens were more likely, plus I'm just not a fan of zombie movies) I decided to include a fully loaded Super Soaker.

Readiness

There are many different degrees of preparedness, from the standard 72-hour kit recommended by the American Red Cross, to those who plan for survival in the case of complete social and economic collapse (often referred to as SHTF, or when the "S@&* Hits the Fan"). To each his or her own, of course, but surely there is some value in considering how to deal with various difficult situations.

From 9/11 to Katrina to the tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, there are many possible events that could disrupt utilities, transportation, communication and more. Closer to home and higher on the probability scale are situations like Hurricane Fran, or ice and snow storms that leave large numbers without power for several days.

In this post I will describe my own level of readiness for different situations. In each case I try to consider hygiene, shelter, food, water, first aid, pets and how to pass the time.