iFixYouri has multiple Florida locations, which means we are no strangers to being in hurricane watch and warning zones. We’ve put together this list of hurricane preparedness tech guide that relate to you being able to use your technology to communicate and stay safe during a hurricane or other emergencies.
Phones and Tablets
- Charge all laptops and turn them off. Laptops can be used to charge phones.
- Limit use of your phone for entertainment.
- Turn down phone brightness to conserve battery life. For some phones (AMOLED screens), switching to greyscale mode conserves more energy.
- Invest in a water proof case. In a pinch, you can use a heavy duty Ziploc to keep your tech dry.
- Save emergency numbers in your phone if you haven’t already.
- Save the following PDFs to your phone in case you lose reception:
Phones can also be used before emergencies for documentation. Scan or take photos of important personal documents. You can also record videos of your personal belongings for insurance purposes.
Computers
- Back up your data either to external storage or a cloud service. Keep external copies in as watertight of a place as you can manage.
- Shut down your computer and turn off your monitor. Turn off any peripherals, such as printers and external drives.
- Unplug the power cords from all devices. Surges can happen when power is restored. Unplugging from the wall will help ensure the devices will be protected.
- Unplug the network cable going to your computer, as well as your printer. Lightning can send voltage through these lines, possibly damaging your network cards.
Do you have any other hurricane preparedness tech guide pointers emergency situations? Please share them in the comments and share this post with your friends and loved ones. Stay safe.