Storm Season is Here
PREPARED
Not Scared
For me, living in tornado alley means being prepared, not scared. Every Spring we clean out our storm shelter and stock it with bottled water, snacks, pet food, and Go Bags. I also keep a backup hard drive containing our family’s photo hub in a fire proof safe in our shelter. Our photo hub includes a video walk through of each room in our house as an inventory for insurance purposes in the event we do have a major loss. Protecting photos (especially irreplaceable physical ones) from tornado damage takes some planning since tornadoes can completely destroy homes.
Here are reliable ways to keep your photos safe:
1. Digitize Everything
Scan physical photos. That way, even if originals are lost, you still have copies. A high quality scan can be printed and even enlarged.
Cloud backup: Store them in cloud services like:
Google Photos
iCloud
Dropbox
Backblaze, Carbonite, etc.
Be careful about which Cloud storage services you use and read the terms closely. Some compress photos and they lose quality. Another factor to consider is whether any captions, facial recognition, or other data will be stripped when you retrieve the files from their service. In some cases, all of your organization efforts will be lost.
External backups: Keep USB drives or external hard drives in another secure location (like a relative's house or safe deposit box).
2. Use a Waterproof, Fireproof Safe
For keeping physical photos safe in your home:
Get a fireproof and waterproof safe rated for at least 1–2 hours of fire resistance.
Store photos in archival-quality photo sleeves or boxes inside the safe to prevent moisture damage. You can include silica gel packs or other moisture absorbing materials.
While it may not be practical to include all of your photo prints, it is worthwhile to create a thoughtfully selected collection of your best photos and those that are special to your story.
3. Consider Offsite Storage
Safe deposit boxes at banks are great for original prints.
Trusted relatives or friends in different states can hold backup drives or copies.
4. Emergency Grab Bag
Keep your photo hub drive and visual inventory for insurance in a go-bag so you are prepared if you need to evacuate quickly. I also keep a change of clothes, important medication, a copy of a utility bill with my name and address on it, and some toiletries in the go bag.
Bonus: Label & Organize Digital Files
When you digitize, name files clearly and organize them by date/event. It’ll make recovery easier and more meaningful if anything happens.
