(StatePoint) No one likes to think about worst case scenarios, but being prepared for them is crucial to quickly recover in the event they occur.

But there’s good news — new technologies and tools are making it easier to protect yourself and your loved ones from all kinds of emergency situations.

Your Home

When is the last time you replaced your home’s windows? New stronger materials — including impact-resistant glass and laminated glass — are now available, that are specifically designed to handle storms, hurricanes and other extreme weather scenarios. Think about the kind of weather that threatens your home and consider better protecting it with upgraded windows.

While there’s an upfront cost associated with these replacements, you could potentially save big on repairs down the line.

Your Data

One area of disaster preparedness you may not have given much consideration to is data protection.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency states that 40 to 60 percent of businesses who experience a data disaster never recover. From your financial information to your children’s baby photos, don’t let that same type of devastating data loss happen to your family or business.

Cloud backup should be a key component in your disaster preparedness plan, according to experts.

“In the event you experience data loss from fire, natural disaster or even theft, you can recover your data quickly and easily from the cloud,” says Piyum Samaraweera, Senior Director of Product Management at Carbonite, a provider of automatic online backup. “Think of it as an insurance policy for your irreplaceable documents, photos, emails and more.”

For more information about protecting your personal data from disaster, visit www.Carbonite.com.

Your Pets

In the chaos of an emergency, your dog or cat is more likely to lose his or her collar and identification tag. Should you become separated, you can greatly increase your chances of a reunion by having a microchip implanted and registering your pet with a microchip company.

Microchips, which are recommended by the Humane Society as extra protection, can be implanted safely by a veterinarian.

These days, disaster preparedness is about more than having a radio, batteries and a flashlight.  Ensure your disaster plan includes 21st century solutions.

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