Disaster Season: Proactive Protection for Collectibles and Documents

As the summer surges on, Americans are getting closer and closer to that time of year where natural disasters become much more common. High temperatures have dried out forests, turning them into tinderboxes. The summer sun also heats the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, leading to hurricanes in the southeast. In order to weather these natural disasters, households and businesses have to be proactive. Valuable collectibles and important documents don’t fare well against fire or water. So, what can we do to protect these items before disaster strikes?

Going Digital Changes Everything… For Documents

Before the digital age, having backups meant having physical copies. In order to have protection against natural disasters, those physical copies would have to be in a separate location. Today, the cloud exists. When it comes to important documents, scanning and storing in the cloud is the safest way to keep backups. That way, you have copies available even if your electronic devices are damaged in the fire, flood, or other disasters.

Scan What You Can, Insure Everything

If you live or own a business somewhere that can be affected by fires, floods, tropical storms, or other disasters, it’s important to have a full understanding of what your insurance covers. If you have valuable items that can’t be replaced or saved by digitization, it’s vital that they are covered by an insurance policy. Homeowners sometimes overestimate what is covered under their home insurance policy. Whether you are a homeowner or business owner, don’t get caught wishing you had insured a valuable item after it’s too late.

Physical Protection

Insurance can soften the blow of losing something irreplaceable with a payout. But it doesn’t get you that one-of-a-kind item back. It might be worth it to invest in a safe for certain valuable items. The safe should have a 1-hour fire rating and a seal to protect the contents inside from fire, smoke, and moisture.

Know Who to Call

If you return to your business or home following a disaster and find important documents, collectibles, or other items damaged, it’s important to contact restoration experts right away. Polygon provides restoration services across the country. The earlier our team is on the scene, the better chance that items can be restored to their original condition. Our partners AMRestore stand ready in the mid-Atlantic region to provide restoration services as well.

Being proactive means having a plan in place. Saving our number should be part of your plan in case your valuable items are damaged by a flood, fire, or other disasters. Polygon is always by your side. Call us to learn more at 1-800-422-6379.