Dr. Z wants to express his concern for those who were affected by Hurricane Sandy.  Dr. Z was at his son’s home in Connecticut–not at a coastal city, but inland.

Nothing much happened where Dr. Z was, except for some fallen branches, etc.

But for those who had blackouts, flooding – it is a difficult thing to deal with.

First of all, most of you have computers and mobile devices.

The information stored on your computers can be lost due to a blackout as it is often accompanied by a surge, so turn off your computers when you expect to lose your power and unplug it.

To add more insurance, save (upload) all your data and your photos (not your apps), on something called Dropbox or Box (cloud).  This way if your data is lost, you can always download it.  Apps take too much space and you can always download the apps from the App Store or your DVD’s. If you have a flood, and your pictures are on a DVD, it could be damaged.  The best is to upload it to the cloud.

For your mobile devices, they are always with you, but they can run out of power.  Remember, your car is a mini-generator, you can always plug in your mobile device in your car’s lighter or power outlet and have it charged (remember to do it with the garage door open or outside.) You can also use a battery charger such as Mophie or a Duracell/Energizer battery with a connector to your device. For an interesting story re charging in an hurricane, click on this link.

Wifi will go out in your house, so you will have a 3G or 4G connection on your mobile device.  You should download the Z4 to your mobile device to enable video communication in an emergency.

Dr. Z is hopeful the above information will be of help in the next natural disaster in your area.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z (Philip W. Bravin) is associated with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Business Development