Before the Storm: Your Hurricane Tech Checklist

Simple steps to protect your photos, documents, and devices — while the power’s still on

A plain-English checklist for Lowcountry homes, from ElevateTech

Hurricane season runs June through November here in the Lowcountry, and the time to get your technology ready is now — not when a storm is three days out and the whole town is scrambling at once.

This isn’t about worst-case scenarios. It’s about a little quiet preparation that takes maybe ten minutes. Because here’s the thing most people don’t think about until it’s too late: a phone or a laptop can be replaced. The photos and documents on it often can’t.

“A phone can be replaced. The photos on it usually can’t. Ten minutes of preparation now is the whole difference.”

1. Back Up the Things You Can’t Replace

If you do nothing else on this list, do this one. The goal is simple: make sure your most important photos and documents exist somewhere other than the device in your pocket.

✓  START WITH YOUR PHOTOS: Turn on automatic photo backup — iCloud on an iPhone, Google Photos on an Android. Once it’s on, every new picture is copied safely off your phone on its own. If the phone is ever lost or damaged, the memories aren’t.

• Confirm it’s actually working — Backups can quietly stall when storage fills up. Open your settings and make sure the last backup is recent, not weeks old.

• Save copies of key documents — Insurance policies, IDs, medical information, and important account details. A clear photo of each, stored in the cloud, is enough to get you through a claim or an emergency.

2. Charge Everything — and Have a Backup Power Plan

When a storm is in the forecast, treat a full charge like a full tank of gas.

• Top off every device — Phones, tablets, and laptops, charged fully before the weather turns.

• Keep a charged power bank — A portable battery can recharge a phone several times over. Charge it now and know where it is, so it’s ready when you need it.

• Don’t forget the car — A car charger means your vehicle becomes a backup power source for your phone if the lights go out.

3. Keep a Way to Get Information

If the power and internet go down, your phone is only useful while its battery lasts — so plan for how you’ll stay informed either way.

• Sign up for local alerts — Charleston County emergency notifications and National Weather Service alerts will reach your phone directly. Set them up before you need them.

• Write down the numbers that matter — Family, your doctor, your insurance company, a trusted neighbor. On paper. If your phone dies, you’ll still have them.

• Have a radio as a backup — A battery or hand-crank weather radio keeps working long after the WiFi doesn’t.

4. Protect the Equipment in Your Home

A surprising amount of storm damage to electronics doesn’t happen during the storm — it happens when the power comes back on.

• Unplug sensitive electronics — When the power returns after an outage, it often comes back with a surge that can damage TVs, computers, and networking gear. If you lose power or evacuate, unplug them.

• Use quality surge protectors — For anything that stays plugged in, a good surge protector is cheap insurance.

• Lift equipment off the floor — If flooding is a possibility, move computers and important electronics up off the ground ahead of time.

• Photograph your electronics — A few quick photos of your devices and their serial numbers make any insurance claim far easier later.

5. The 10-Minute Version

Short on time? If you only get through this much before the next storm, you’ll be in good shape:

THE 10-MINUTE CHECKLIST

✓  Turn on automatic photo backup — and confirm it ran recently

✓  Snap a photo of your insurance, ID, and medical info

✓  Charge every device and your power bank

✓  Sign up for Charleston County and weather alerts

✓  Write down your most important phone numbers on paper

✓  Unplug or surge-protect your TV, computer, and network gear

None of this takes long, and none of it requires being “good with technology.” It just takes doing it before the season gets busy — which, in Charleston, is right about now.

WE CAN HELP

Want a hand getting any of this set up — automatic backups, your important documents stored safely, or your home network and equipment ready for the season? That’s exactly the kind of thing we do, in plain English and at your pace. Give us a call or text — no pressure, no upsells.

(843) 345-2869   ·   elevatetechllc.com

— John Snyder, Owner

ElevateTech  ·  Charleston, SC  ·  elevatetechllc.com