Hurricane Season and Electronic Devices

Hurricane Season and Electronic Devices

Another storm will soon be upon us here in Hawaii - Hurricane Ignacio. 

Thanks to advances in meteorology and news broadcasting across many platforms - computer, smartphone, tablet, radio, TV, etc. - we can track a storm's progress and prognosis for impact.  And importantly we can receive alerts for flash flooding while out and about on our cell phones.

When a big storm is imminent, it's best to unplug all your electronic devices at home - TV, sound system, satellite or cable TV receiver, DVD player, computers, printers, modems, routers, etc. Unplug means unplug from the wall outlets. Unplug all surge suppressors from the wall outlets too. 

For businesses, be sure you are running computers on Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPS units). In the event of thunder and lightning, I suggest turning the computers off and unplugging all equipment from the outlets until the storm passes. (Or at least unplug as many devices as is feasible; you may need to keep one computer running for business operations.) This includes unplugging modems, routers, switches, etc. if possible.  

And, as always, be sure to have a good data backup system in place. Before the storm, back up all critical data files. Then unplug any backup device from the computers (and wall outlets if powered) until the storm passes.  

Like a good boy scout, be prepared for the worst. You'll suffer much less grief concerning electronic device failure if you err on the side of extreme caution before and during storms.

Thanks for reading. Your feedback is appreciated!

Aloha, Sam

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