Before the Lights Flicker
At 4:47am, the power dies. Not dramatically—just a soft click from the surge protector, then nothing. The ceiling fan slows to a stop. The refrigerator’s hum fades. And somewhere in the dark, a hard drive that was backing up your family photos stops spinning, mid-transfer.
Hurricane Douglas is still 200 miles away.
The Truth About Digital Hurricane Prep
Everyone talks about water and batteries. Nobody talks about the 50,000 photos on your phone that exist nowhere else.
The storm isn’t what kills your data. It’s the power surge when KIUC restores service three days later. It’s the humidity that creeps into your external drive while you’re dealing with a leaking roof. It’s the simple fact that you can’t remember your password when the internet finally returns.
Your digital life is more fragile than your roof. And unlike your roof, insurance won’t rebuild it.
The 72-Hour Rule
If you can’t access it without power or internet for 72 hours, you don’t really own it.
What Dies in 72 Hours
- Cloud-dependent password managers
- Streaming services (obviously)
- Cloud storage you haven’t synced locally
- Email you can’t access offline
- Documents trapped in Google Drive
- That backup service you’ve been meaning to configure
What Survives
- Local files on multiple drives
- Offline password managers
- Downloaded documents
- Email synced to your devices
- Photos backed up to physical media
- Systems you actually understand
The Pre-Storm Checklist
7 Days Before
The Strategic Phase
Audit Your Digital Life
- List every service you depend on
- Identify what works offline
- Find the single points of failure
Download Everything
- Every important document from the cloud
- Your entire photo library
- Password manager offline backup
- Email archives
Create Physical Backups
- Buy TWO external drives (not one)
- Backup to both (RAID is not backup)
- Store them in different locations
- Test the restore process
3 Days Before
The Tactical Phase
Charge Everything
- Every device at 100%
- Every power bank full
- Backup batteries tested
- UPS units ready
Final Sync
- Force-sync all cloud services
- Update offline password vaults
- Download offline maps
- Cache essential websites
Document Access Methods
- Write down critical passwords (yes, paper)
- Print recovery codes
- Screenshot important info
- Email yourself everything
24 Hours Before
The Lockdown Phase
Protect Hardware
- Unplug everything non-essential
- Surge protectors on critical items
- Drives in waterproof containers
- Devices in ziplock bags with silica
Final Downloads
- Weather updates
- Emergency contacts
- Medical records
- Insurance documents
Communication Setup
- SMS backup methods ready
- Offline messaging apps configured
- Ham radio frequencies noted
- Backup communication plan shared
The Backup Strategy That Actually Works
The 3-2-1 Rule (Island Edition)
- 3 copies of important data
- 2 different storage types (SSD + HDD)
- 1 offsite copy (friend’s house in Kōloa)
But on Kauaʻi, add:
- 1 waterproof container
- 1 copy at elevation (Princeville if you’re in Hanalei)
- 1 mainland backup (ship a drive to family)
What to Backup First
- Irreplaceable (photos, videos, documents)
- Expensive to recreate (projects, configs)
- Painful to lose (email, messages)
- Nice to have (music, movies)
Power Management
The Pecking Order
When running on limited power:
- Phone (communication lifeline)
- Radio (information without internet)
- One laptop (work and emergency access)
- LED lights (sanity preservation)
- Router (if internet survives)
Power Budget
- Phone: 10Wh/day
- Laptop: 50Wh/day
- LED bulb: 10Wh/night
- Router: 25Wh/day
- Total: ~100Wh/day minimum
A 100Ah battery = 1,200Wh = 12 days minimal operation
Post-Storm Recovery
The First 72 Hours
Don’t rush to reconnect
- Power surges are coming
- Let KIUC stabilize first
- Test outlets before plugging in
Check hardware for moisture
- Open cases if safe
- Silica gel or rice for wet devices
- Never power on wet electronics
Restore in order
- Network infrastructure first
- Computers second
- Peripherals last
Data Recovery Priority
- Verify backup integrity
- Restore communication ability
- Recover work files
- Everything else can wait
The Tools You Actually Need
Hardware
- 2× 2TB external drives ($120 each)
- 1× 20,000mAh power bank ($40)
- 1× Small UPS for router ($80)
- Waterproof cases ($30)
- Surge protectors ($20 each)
Software
- Offline password manager: KeePass or Bitwarden
- Backup software: Duplicati or rsync
- Offline docs: Obsidian or Joplin
- Communication: Signal or Briar
- Maps: Maps.me or OsmAnd
Total Investment
~$400 protects a lifetime of digital memories
The Psychology of Digital Disaster
People don’t backup because they can’t imagine loss. Then loss happens, and they can’t imagine recovery.
The time to build resilience is when you don’t need it. The calm before the storm isn’t a metaphor—it’s your last chance to act.
Why We Don’t Prepare
- “It won’t happen to me”
- “The cloud is my backup”
- “I’ll do it next week”
- “It’s too complicated”
Why We Should
- Every hurricane season is russian roulette
- Cloud services fail during disasters
- Next week becomes never
- Losing everything is more complicated
The MCT Approach
We don’t just tell you to backup. We build backup into your daily workflow:
- Automated local snapshots every hour
- Network attached storage that syncs while you sleep
- Versioned backups so mistakes aren’t permanent
- Tested restore procedures that actually work
Because the best backup system is the one you don’t have to think about until you need it.
Your Next Step
Don’t wait for the hurricane warning. Start now:
- Today: Buy two external drives
- Tomorrow: Backup your photos
- This week: Download your cloud data
- This month: Build a real backup system
Or let us design one that works automatically:
The lights will flicker. The power will fail. The internet will die. But your data doesn’t have to.
Build resilience before you need it. Because after is too late.