Metairie
Louisian
a
Scrapbo
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Store |
Metairie
LA
Scrapbo
oking
Supplies
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Ideas
New
Orleans
Scrapbo
ok Store
Louisian
a
Scrapbo
oking
Store |
Metairie
LA
Scrapbo
oking
Supplies
|
Scrapbo
oking
Ideas
New
Orleans
Scrapbo
ok Store
| Tips and Techniques Updated 08/31/10 (STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION!) |
| Scrappersaurus Scrapbook Services and Supply, LLC |
WHAT TO DO: ► Create several copies of an Identification Tag to store with your photos in Ziplocs*. Laminate the ID tags if possible. Include the following information on every ID tag: ● FULL LEGAL NAME ● AREA CODE AND CELL PHONE NUMBER ● YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS ● YOUR POSTAL MAILING ADDRESS if comfortable, although most people are now easily reached by cell phone or e-mail. Remember, though, that a hurricane may knock down cell phone towers and/or access to the Internet. ► Place all your photographs (with negatives and disks, if any) into Ziploc bags. Include in EACH bag an ID tag and a couple packs of desiccant or silica powder. The dessicant/silica powder will absorb any moisture that may be in the air inside the bag when you seal it. Most of us in the hurricane danger zone are already in a very humid area, so there’s bound to be moisture in the bags when you seal them. Keep at least 1 recent photo of each family member and any pets to put in your Evacuation Bag. You will need to be in the photo with your pet, to prove you are the true owner. See below for other items to include in the Evacuation Bag. ► Place groupings of smaller sets of photos in the Ziplocs into a larger, gallon-sized Ziploc. Include an ID tag and a couple packs of desiccant in these larger bags, also. ► If you can put memorabilia into Ziplocs, do so, and include an ID tag and dessicant in each bag. ► If you must leave behind albums, seal them up the same way you did your photographs. Ziploc makes Big Bags, in which even bedding and clothes fit, so your albums should fit very well. Tape these bags shut across the seal, with good quality shipping tape, and then finish protecting them as you did your photos. Remember to include an ID tag and desiccant or silica powder packets. ► Place all sealed packs of photos, memorabilia, and albums into a heavy-duty construction or lawn- and-leaf bag, which you should tie shut with a strong cord or zip tie after putting an ID tag and dessicant into it also. Using good quality shipping tape, tape tightly over the cord or zip tie several times. Place this sealed bag that you've taped closed into another large construction or lawn-and-leaf bag, and seal it up the same way, also with an I.D. tag and dessicant. ► Place the entire construction or lawn-and-leaf bag with all photos, memorabilia, and albums into an airtight (if possible) plastic or rubber container, or at least a bin with a snap-on lid. A bin with a locking lid is even better. Again using good quality shipping tape, tape around the entire bin, wrapping around it at least twice. ► Store these bins at least four (4) feet above floor level, preferably on an inside room closet shelf. DO NOT store them long term like this in a bathroom closet, garage, or attic!!! The heat, built up over time, will damage the very photos you are trying to preserve!!! Only put them in one of these places if you have to evacuate and leave them behind, where they will be protected by several walls between where you place them and the outside of the house or apartment. If it floods above the four (4) feet, the bin should float up. If the roof is torn off or the walls blow out and the bin blows away, whomever finds it should be able to identify and contact you by the information you have on the ID tag. Your items should be safe and dry, if you've packed them properly. Right now, it may seem senseless to put your treasures into multiple bags and then a bin, however, if it DOES get blown around by a tornado or other extremely high winds during the hurricane, the bin can come apart and one or more of the bags can be ripped. Every time you put a grouping into a Ziploc and then store it into another one, you are actually creating layers--like an onion--that will need to be peeled away before your actual photos are reached. This is why we recommend using higher quality products like Ziploc--which we know are very thick and sturdy--and the construction or lawn-and-leaf bags-- which are also thick and sturdy. A good, brand-name packaging or shipping tape is recommended, as well, because it is senseless to have a sturdy bag if it will just open up because we used cheap tape. The old proverb is true: "You get what you pay for!" These are our priceless treasured memories; they deserve the very best! ► Create a special bag to bring with you when you evacuate. This Ziploc should include the following: • At least 1 recent photo of each family member and any pets; make sure you are in the photo with your pet(s), proving you are the true owner. Create a special bag with important items to include in your Emergency Evacuation Kit—which you should take with you every time you evacuate—include but are not limited to the following: ► All legal documents possible. These would include birth/death/marriage certificates, divorce decrees, alimony/palimony and child support orders, legal name-change documents, passports, and Social Security cards. ► Proof of any and all insurance, which could include the Declarations Page of every insurance policy you own (Homeowner’s, Renter’s, Auto, Boat, Commercial, etc.). Also bring your Health Insurance or Medicare and Medicaid cards. Make sure whatever records you bring of your insurance includes: o Full names of all insurance companies o Contact phone numbers for all insurance companies o Policy numbers for each insurance policy o Effective dates of coverage for each policy o If you have an Insurance Agent, have their full contact information (company name, if any; phone number with Area Code; e-mail address; and postal mailing address) o If you have pet insurance, include all the above for their insurance information, too! ► A list with the names, addresses, and phone numbers of ALL of the physicians that currently treat you and your family members, for any reason. ► A list of every medication (including over-the-counter or herbal preparations) being taken, with the name of the person taking the medication. Also include, for each person listed, the doctor who prescribed the medication, the full name of the medication, the strength, and how it is supposed to be taken. Note any other special medical or physical needs that you or your family members may have. ► If you have a Handicapped Placard for a motor vehicle, make sure you bring it, too, along with your Mobility Impairment ID. ► Don’t forget your pets’ health information! You need to bring vaccination certificates for each pet, along with any medications or special needs items they have, just like for your family members. List the pets’ names, veterinarian’s name, address, phone number, and any medications your pet(s) take on the same list as you put your family’s medications. ► For durability and to make them waterproof, laminate the medical information documents, as well. For safekeeping, make another laminated copy of this document and give it to another family member in case you lose yours. ► For those of you who are able to, you may want to consider scanning all of the above information to your computer (papers and photos) and either burning it all to a CD or DVD, or at least having a copy of it all on a removable thumb drive or jump drive. Doing this would mean a lot less paperwork to keep track of when you evacuate, but it would also be absolutely essential that you not lose it as you evacuate! If you do this, you may want to make a couple copies and give one to each family member. You probably would not need an excessive amount of memory on the removable drive, for just this paperwork and photos. They are inexpensive enough, and a lot of them come on a key fob or lanyard so you can easily keep track of them. While there are no guarantees in life, the above tips should help to protect your photos and memorabilia, as well as the documentation necessary to get on with your life after the hurricane is gone. *We are recommending Ziploc brand because they have the tightest seal we have found. Most generics that we tried did not seal as well. Plus, Ziploc makes Double Guard Freezer Bags in Medium and Large sizes that are essentially a bag in a bag, with a double zipper. These are recommended, but you can use regular Ziploc bags if you cannot find the Double Guard bags. The above information resulted from the collaborative effort of Deidra Luquette Famularo and Marlane Mayo after both lost immeasurable amounts of information, crafting tools, supplies, samples, and many photographs in Hurricane Katrina because of the destruction of the first Scrappersaurus Store in Metairie, Louisiana, August 29, 2005. We hope that our losses were not in vain, and the knowledge gained from it helps YOU to protect YOUR memories. Please feel free to e-mail us any comments or ideas that you may have to improve upon these Suggestions. Revised August 9, 2009 |
Hurricane Preparedness for Crafters |
| Hurricanes are serious, and we need to be serious about how we prepare for them. As crafters we do not want to see our creations destroyed, however, we may be faced with having to leave some things behind if we evacuate. Speaking strictly from personal experience, we would like to offer some suggestions on how to prepare things relating to your crafting and other important papers necessary during or after an evacuation. |
For more information on general Hurricane Preparedness and what to do in an emergency or for a hurricane threat, please visit an official governmental website on the Internet. You can find many of these simply by typing in HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS into your browser. |
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