As the residents of Greensburg know, one can never fully prepare for a natural disaster, but precautions can be made to preserve items, photographs, documents and heirlooms that are near and dear to you and your loved ones. If you find your life in chaos from a tornado or other event, knowing that you've set aside those precious papers and memories will make the burden easier to bear, and having an emergency kit available will be a great help in the first hours of recovery.
Following the below advice will enable you to prepare for a disaster and safeguard your valuables while staying sustainable.
- Make electronic copies instead of paper copies of everything. In a natural disaster, paper items are likely to disintegrate, wasting the ink and trees used in creating them and washing away your memories. A safer and more permanent solution is to scan everything important, from photographs to insurance policies, and to then upload the resulting images onto a reputable online backup server.
- Purchase a heavy-duty home safe at a thrift store, garage sale or at a demolition auction to safely store irreplaceable items. Place the safe on the ground floor or basement of your house.
- Stock the safe with reusable eco-friendly bottles of water, like these from Sigg. Refresh water every six months. Also store organic, non-perishable foods like beef jerky and organic raisins.
- Include a first-aid kit filled with eco-friendly products like these vegan band-aids.
- Before storing in the safe, seal irreplaceable items like stock certificates and heirlooms in PVC-free and waterproof protective cases.
- Invest in an eco-friendly, long-lasting lantern like this one in case it's dark outside when disaster strikes.
