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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.

When it comes to deciding how to dry wet documents, vacuum freeze drying is the best recognized method in the restoration industry. A vacuum freeze drying chamber blast freezes wet documents to a temperature of 0 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit, then uses precise temperature and pressure control to vaporize the ice, bypassing the melting stage. A high-tech sensor monitors the rate of weight reduction within the chamber to signal when the drying process is complete and prevent secondary damage from over-drying.

For libraries, museums and other organizations that house irreplaceable books, a flood or other disaster can be devastating. If not cared for properly, water damaged books will warp, stain and grow mold. Fortunately, with the help of an expert in disaster recovery, documents and books can be dried and restored to usable condition – provided you take the right steps.

Even a multi-billion-dollar corporation like Sony isn’t immune to natural disasters and the destruction – such as flood damaged documents – they can bring. Ravaged by last year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan, plus flooding in Thailand, the electronics giant reported a record annual loss of $5.7 billion dollars.

As humans, we are the only creatures capable of caring about history. Other species live solely in the moment, caring only for what immediately surrounds them. People, however, feel complicated emotions when they think back on the past. As document restoration experts, we understand the poignancy and joy of looking back on familial archives, and as business disaster recovery specialists, we appreciate the importance of protecting the crucial documents of a company’s past.