Apologies in advance for any duplication of stories posted by Peter, and no disrespect intended to the RAIN offerings, but these are stories I've collected through an independent set of alerts, as I'm working on two articles and a Computerworld blog on this subject. I've provided snipurls for the real long URLs. Lots of these deal with "personal records" issues and also the need to develop disaster plans for your home and family, something we all should be considering. Larry **************************************************************************** Ruined records stall restart Backup files or not, many small businesses face paperwork dilemma before they can move on http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/small/3347880 1040 can help reconstruct vital records Following Hurricane Katrina, we're all being told to do some disaster planning. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050911/BUSINESS/509110342/1003/BUSINESS http://snipurl.com/hmap Could you survive a disaster here? (Seattle) Hurricane Katrina has made one thing clear: If disaster strikes, you could be on your own — for a very long time. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002486548_disasterprep11.<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002486548_disasterprep11.html> html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002486548_disasterprep11.html>What if disaster hit here? (Chicago) City, state describe evacuation strategies http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0509110296sep11,1,160901.story?coll=chi-newslocalchicago-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true http://snipurl.com/ <http://snipurl.com/hmao>hmao <http://snipurl.com/hmao>Are your records a disaster? Protect them now http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/money/240098_singletary10.<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/money/240098_singletary10.html> html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/money/240098_singletary10.html>Now is a perfect time to prepare for the unexpected http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/business/article/0,1375,VCS_128_4071890,00.<http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/business/article/0,1375,VCS_128_4071890,00.html> html <http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/business/article/0,1375,VCS_128_4071890,00.html>Picking up the pieces Small businesses face big challenges after a disaster, but help is out there http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/10/BUGJ1EL9TG1.DTL Like Much Of Gulf Coast, Katrina Leaves Legal System In Shambles They have no paperwork indicating whether they are charged with having had too much to drink or with attempted murder http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=7c8d684f-5433-46f4-a8b5-a0735cfa56cd Have proof Keep financial documents in a safe, portable container in case of emergency http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/12592186.<http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/12592186.htm> htm <http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/12592186.htm>Lives and History Adrift on a Soggy Paper Trail New Orleans archives and personal records are among millions of pages lost or damaged http://ktla.trb.com/news/la-na-paper9sep09,0,1472452.story?coll=ktla-news-1 Are we ready for the big one here? Probably not (St. Louis) http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/108E31104FC3C1E486257078005E7C6A?OpenDocument http://snipurl.com/ <http://snipurl.com/hmbt>hmbt <http://snipurl.com/hmbt>Unexpected events can overpower preparations Following Hurricane Katrina, we're all being told to do some disaster planning. Create an evacuation box that contains your key personal documents, experts say. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050910/BUSINESS/509100349/1003 http://snipurl.com/ <http://snipurl.com/hmby>hmby <http://snipurl.com/hmby>Some Ways to Prepare for the Absolute Worst http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050910/ZNYT01/509100399/1001/BUSINESS http://snipurl.com/ <http://snipurl.com/hmc4>hmc4 <http://snipurl.com/hmc4> -- Larry Medina Danville, CA RIM Professional since 1972