To ensure the safety of your data, the most recent backup should be taken
off-site, to a secure location.
The major cause of damage to computer hardware and software will be from rain
and wind. Broken doors and windows will allow the wind with its rain and debris
to whistle through buildings. By moving computer equipment (i.e. monitors, CPUs,
printers, keyboards) to protected locations and wrapping with plastic, the
chances of damage will be greatly reduced.
To select a protected location, survey the room in question. Try to determine
what would occur if the window broke and allowed the wind and rain to enter.
Naturally the wind that enters through a broken window has to exit somewhere --
which could be through a door, a ceiling (roof), or another window. This creates
a wind-tunnel effect in the room. As a result the computer equipment can not
only be damaged by the rain, but also by airborne articles flying around the
room.
Computer equipment can be stored in any number of locations:
in the corner of a room, out of the path of possible wind drafts, or
a closet or small windowless room.
There are four additional precautions that can be taken to minimize
damage.
Double wrap equipment in plastic garbage bags to reduce rain/water
damage.
Bear in mind that a collapsing ceiling or roof can send potentially
damaging debris falling on your equipment; locate equipment under a sturdy
desk or piece of furniture that could possibly withstand the effects of
falling debris.
If equipment is to be located directly on the floor, take into
consideration the possible effects of flooding. Placing equipment on or in
water resistant objects, such as garbage cans, may be appropriate.
Last and probably most important -- unplug your computer equipment.
As a major storm begins to pummel the area, the chances of severe power
fluctuations are very high as electrical transmission lines and power plants
are affected. These power fluctuations can have extremely serious
consequences for any equipment left plugged in or turned on.
STORM AFTERMATH
In the aftermath of a hurricane the size of Andrew, the difficulty of everyday
living is going to seem mind-numbing.
In all the resulting confusion, three basic principles need to be
remembered.Protect any valuable equipment or software from looters.
Do not plug in any equipment that may be water damaged.
If undamaged computers and power are available, be very careful of power
spikes and surges that can take place during the cleanup process. Caution
should also be used when running a computer on power supplied by a generator
-- this "unclean" power source can be riddled with power spikes, voltage
drops, and surges.
Clean-up
The most destructive element of a hurricane is most often the storm surge that
inundates the targeted costal area. Hurricane Andrew's storm surge was
relatively minor for the size and fury involved; the majority of damage was done
by storm-generated wind. The wind can drive rain into the smallest of places
with ease. In the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, a great deal of computer
equipment was soaked with water. But that was not all: in some cases, the rain
also was heavily laden with a very fine talc-like powder or grit. Many types of
equipment other as CPUs, printers, modems, floppy drives, keyboards, mice,
monitors, and scanners do not tolerate water well, but when adding a fine grit,
additional problems can develop. The water-borne grit can coat the insides of
keyboards and such equipment, making them non-functional. At this point many
hours of cleaning will be required to make such equipment usable.
Before undertaking any cleaning of computer equipment the following three
questions should be addressed:
Is the warranty in effect for this equipment?
Will the warranty be voided by this action?
Is a professional technical person available to do the required work?
A great deal of thought should be used when contemplating cleaning any type of
equipment. Many types of equipment can retain a powerful charge of stored
electricity (in capacitors) for long periods of time after the power has been
disconnected. For example, power supplies and monitors can contain potentially
dangerous or fatal charges of electricity that can effect an unaware person who
is attempting to cleanup. It is strongly recommended that only a qualified
technical person undertake the process of salvaging or cleaning a power supply
or monitor.