[TIP] HURRICANE PREP GUIDE & CHECKLIST

[Porthos]

A vendor sent me this today.

Please follow the guidelines below to keep your data and network safe during Hurricane Season.


Objective:
Our objective is to ensure our clients are appropriately prepared in case of a hurricane strike. Damage to computer
equipment can be caused by rain, wind, or debris with a major cause of damage being power spikes and surges,
extended power outages or repeated power outages in rapid succession. Taking the appropriate precautions can reduce
or eliminate damage to computer hardware and software.



Our Role and Policies in Hurricane Preparation:
As your technology partner, we can help you prepare for a hurricane by following the tips below. After the storm we can offer network rebuilding services and data recovery in case of data loss.


Timeline:


Hurricane Watch (36 - 24 hours prior to landfall)
During the Hurricane Watch period, preparations should begin on non-core equipment and infrastructure including all
PCs, printers and monitors. All loose software manuals and CDs should be stored away from windows, preferably stored
in a sealed, weatherproof container or safe. It is recommended a final backup of data be run before servers are shut
down. Backups can take many hours to run and therefore, preparations for final backups should start at this point.


Hurricane Warning (24 hours prior to landfall)
When the hurricane warning is issued, indicating that a hurricane strike is imminent, preparations to core equipment
including servers, routers, switches, phone systems and firewalls should take place immediately. The final or latest
backup should be stored in a safe, sent for offsite storage or taken offsite by an employee. The rest of your equipment
should be protected using the steps below.



WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE STORM


Step by Step Preparation for Disconnecting Computer and Electronic Equipment:


The following guidelines should be followed in order to protect computer equipment before a storm arrives:

• Generally speaking, all equipment close to windows should be moved to a safer location, usually an interior closet or an inside corner of a room. If some equipment cannot be moved, try to enclose it as much as you can with tape and plastic bags such as garbage bags or a tarp.

• Specifically, all computer equipment including PCs, servers, monitors, printers, routers, switches, phones and phone systems should be shut down and unplugged. Surge Protectors and Battery Packs should be unplugged and turned off. All equipment should be bagged and sealed to protect from water damage in case a window breaks or the roof leaks.

Please follow the order below:
1. Save your work and turn off Desktop and Laptop Computers.
2. Run a Backup.
3. Turn off any Printers.
4. Turn off your secondary Servers if any.
5. Turn off your Main Server.
6. Turn off your Network Switch.
7. Turn off your Firewall or Router.
8. Unplug Telephone Handsets.
9. Turn off your Telephone System.
10. Turn off your Internet Provider’s Equipment (Cable, DSL, Satellite, or T1 Modem).
11. Unplug and Turn Off all Surge Protectors and Battery Packs for all devices.
12. If you have an on-site backup device, unplug the device from the server and take it with you.
13. Move any computer equipment away from windows and doors and place plastic garbage bags over them.



WHAT TO DO AFTER THE STORM


Reconnecting Your Equipment:


Even after the storm passes, damage to equipment can still occur. This damage is usually caused by post storm power
surges or outages while the power company begins to restore power to the affected areas. It is best to receive the “allclear”
from FPL before reconnecting expensive equipment.

• Physical recovery can begin once the damage to property has been assessed. This will include removal of bags
  on computer equipment and moving of equipment back to their original locations. During this phase, any equipment that
  may have been exposed to water or damaged will have to be more closely inspected to determine whether it needs to be
  replaced. Leave those items powered off and please call us to inspect these items.
• Equipment should remain powered off and unplugged from the electrical outlet until the electrical power in the
  area has stabilized. Failure to follow these procedures can cause extensive damage to equipment from power surges and
  repeated or rapid succession power outages.
• Once the all clear is received from the power company. The core systems and infrastructure should be restored
  first. These include routers, firewalls, switches, servers and telephone systems. The order is as follows; please wait until
  an item finishes loading completely before moving to the next item:

Please follow the order below:

1. Plug in and turn on all Surge Protectors and Battery Packs for all devices.
2. Turn on your Internet Provider’s Equipment (Cable, DSL, Satellite, or T1 Modem).
3. Turn on your Network Switch.
4. Turn on your Firewall or Router.
5. Turn on your Telephone System.
6. Turn on your Main Server first, then other Servers if any, only after main server fully boots to the login screen.
7. Plug in Telephone Handsets.
8. Plug in and turn on Desktop and Laptop Computers.
9. Plug in and turn on Backup Devices.
10. Plug in and turn on Printers.
11. Activate any other peripherals.
We hope you found this guide useful.
If you have any difficulty getting things up and running again, please contact us for assistance.

 

[Altster]

I just saw a posting on FaceBook about how to go about using your dishwasher for protecting items dear to you. After all the doors lock tight and they are waterproof. All you need to do is tie 'em down to your premises and unplug the power cord so you don't just turn it on by mistake.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I just saw a posting on FaceBook about how to go about using your dishwasher for protecting items dear to you. After all the doors lock tight and they are waterproof. All you need to do is tie 'em down to your premises and unplug the power cord so you don't just turn it on by mistake.

I've seen that too but I have my doubts about how effective it really is. It's seals are designed to keep water IN not water OUT and the volume of water is much, much greater in a flood than in standard use.

 

[JoeTech]

We were just talking about people posting on facebook about storing things in your dishwasher to keep things safe and one of the first articles I saw when I got home was this. In theory sounds good, but techs see flooded dishwashers all the time.

http://lifehacker.com/a-dishwasher-will-not-keep-your-valuables-safe-in-a-hur-1802720505

 

[GTP]

Why not just put all your computer equipment/electricals in the boot of your car and drive the hell out'a there?

 

[Markverhyden]

I just saw a posting on FaceBook about how to go about using your dishwasher for protecting items dear to you. After all the doors lock tight and they are waterproof. All you need to do is tie 'em down to your premises and unplug the power cord so you don't just turn it on by mistake.

That's been around for a while. You also want to turn off the water supply as well. But every dishwasher I've seen has a unregulated vent in the very top in the door for venting during drying. So if it goes completely underwater the door seals are a moot point. But this is 2017 not 1917. It's hard to imagine someone getting slammed by a hurricane with only hours or minutes notice needing to protect some valuables. If so they have much bigger problems to worry about.

 

[Altster]

Why not just put all your computer equipment/electricals in the boot of your car and drive the hell out'a there?

I can tell you that all of the northbound traffic is moving right along at about 30 - 35 miles / hour - in all lanes of the highway. I-75 is nearly a parking lot. I fear that many people will be caught in the weather in their cars / autos / trucks / etc.. But let's hope not.

 

[cypress]

Thank you this is really helpful especially as of right now as I am under a Hurricane Warning.

 

[glricht]

I can tell you that all of the northbound traffic is moving right along at about 30 - 35 miles / hour - in all lanes of the highway. I-75 is nearly a parking lot.

I just drove north from Tampa to middle Georgia and I-75 is indeed a parking lot, averaging about 5 MPH, with bursts to 10 MPH. Within 30 minutes of leaving we got off I-75 and took the side roads -- but then, so did everybody else! Took us 11.5 hours to go 280 miles!

Georgia has made all lanes of I-75 northbound, but Florida (where it's needed most) hasn't done it.