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In the event of a natural disaster such as a flood, our homes and businesses suddenly become threatened with total loss and devastation. Lives are turned upside down, and the key to getting back on your feet during the aftermath is the ability to salvage as much as possible. In such situations, it’s critical to preserve flood damaged documents that contain the details of your financial identity; not only will you need these for your own use, but you also don’t want them to be discovered by looters in the event of a disaster.

In the wake of a natural disaster, home or business owners may find themselves attempting to salvage water damaged documents with a hair dryer. This desperate act is not only dangerous, but it also isn’t usually successful. This begs the question, then, of how to dry wet documents.

Many entrepreneurs have spent years building up a small business, only to have it wiped out by a hurricane. It’s not just that these devastating forces of nature can inflict thousands of dollars in building and property damage; rather, the biggest toll is in the lost revenue caused by the interruption in business operations. The sheer amount of time it takes to recover and reopen for business – from cleaning up flood damaged documents to replacing damaged technology – can make or break a company.

It’s interesting that amid all of the chatter about the world ending in 2012, the rate of natural disasters on our planet has noticeably increased. According to the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, there were 385 such disasters from 2000-2009 – a 67 percent increase over the previous decade, and a 233 percent increase over the 1980s.

The best vaccine against damaged documents and photos is to scan and back them up digitally, before disaster strikes. That way, there’s no need to worry about a storm or flood destroying irreplaceable images or information.