As you are probably well aware, natural disasters have been all over the news in recent months. Hurricane Florence, Typhoon Mangkhut, tornados in Virginia, wildfires in California and Colorado—the list goes on and on. Natural disasters can strike at any time, often leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

Let's be honest: When a major storm hits your community, you’re thinking first about the safety of your family and friends, and not about your personal computer files. But when the danger has passed, and everyone is safe, and time has come to assess the damage, the people who invested in backup and recovery beforehand will be glad they did. It certainly won't solve all of their problems. But they will be able to take some solace in the knowledge that their digital files are safe and accessible – even if home computers are no longer usable – and they can begin to get their lives back on track.

That was certainly the case for Linda Diehl-Darms, who lost her home when a massive wildfire tore through Lake County, Calif. in September 2015. Linda and her family escaped the flames without injury and have since rebuilt. After the fire was contained, Linda was happy to know that her entire digital life – including artwork, poems, family photos and more – were safely backed up with Carbonite.

"I didn’t even think to take my computer out and we weren’t allowed to come back home for a week,” she said. “My friend who originally told me about Carbonite is going to get a great big hug next time I see her.”

Cloud backup is also a godsend when a storm strikes and you need to change locations and work in unfamiliar territory. Just ask Doug Duncan, a home-based human resources consultant from South Orange, NJ.

When Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey, Duncan lost power for more than two weeks and couldn't use his desktop computer. So Duncan decided to pack up what he could and work out of his wife's office a few towns away. He simply borrowed a laptop and used Carbonite's Anytime Anywhere Access feature to retrieve all of his important business files.

“I was able to keep up with my clients and even complete my billing," Duncan says. "If I didn’t have Carbonite, I would be out of business.”

Ready to get one step ahead of Mother Nature? Learn more about Carbonite backup and disaster recovery solutions today.