Life is filled with meaningful moments—first steps, handwritten love letters, cherished family heirlooms, and children’s artwork. These keepsakes tell the story of who we are and where we’ve been. But what happens when disaster strikes?

Natural disasters—such as floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and tornadoes—can destroy homes in an instant, taking irreplaceable family memories with them. While we often focus on protecting important documents and valuables, it's just as crucial to safeguard sentimental items like old photographs, baby books, and family videos.

The good news? With a little preparation, you can disaster-proof your keepsakes and ensure they last for generations. From digitizing old photos and VHS tapes to storing heirlooms in fireproof and waterproof containers, there are several ways to keep your most treasured items safe.

Best Ways to Preserve Keepsakes Before Disaster Strikes

1. Digitize Old Photos & Artwork with Plum Print

One of the best ways to protect family memories is to convert physical keepsakes into digital formats. Plum Print specializes in transforming children’s artwork, printed photographs, and memorabilia into beautifully bound, high-quality books.

Instead of worrying about old drawings and photo albums being damaged in a flood or fire, you can store everything in a stunning keepsake book that can be reprinted whenever needed. Plus, digitizing artwork and photos frees up storage space while ensuring your memories are safe and accessible for years to come. 

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Fill a prepaid collection box with your child's artwork, treasured photos, family recipes and more. Our team preserves it all in a beautifully designed book. 

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2. Convert VHS, Film, and Photos to Digital with LegacyBox

Do you have old VHS tapes, film reels, or printed photos that could be lost in a disaster? LegacyBox offers an easy way to convert VHS to digital, transfer old film reels to USB, and scan printed photos into high-quality digital files.

Once your memories are digitized, they can be safely stored in the cloud, on an external hard drive, or on a USB drive. That way, even if a physical disaster occurs, your most treasured videos and photos will remain intact and easily shareable with loved ones.

3. Organize and Protect Sentimental Items with Savor

For those who prefer physical storage solutions for keepsakes, Savor offers beautifully designed archival-quality keepsake boxes to store baby books, important documents, handwritten letters, and heirlooms.

Savor’s storage systems are designed to protect your keepsakes from moisture, dust, and damage, helping you organize sentimental items while keeping them safe. 

Specifically, their Folio Document Organizer™ and The PaperSavor™ Fireproof Crossbody Bag pair well together. (use code PLUM10 for 10% off)

Having an organized and labeled storage system makes it easy to quickly grab your most important keepsakes if you ever need to evacuate.

4. Use Fireproof and Waterproof Storage for Family Heirlooms

For irreplaceable keepsakes like letters, jewelry, and family heirlooms, invest in a fireproof and waterproof safe. Look for safes, such as SentrySafe, that are rated to withstand extreme heat and water exposure, ensuring your most valuable sentimental items stay protected.

Pro tip: Store your safe in an easily accessible place so you can quickly retrieve your keepsakes if you need to evacuate during a disaster.

5. Back Up Digital Memories in the Cloud and on External Hard Drives

Once you’ve digitized old photos, VHS tapes, and artwork, don’t forget to back them up in multiple locations.

• Use cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud for easy access from anywhere.

• Keep a copy on an external hard drive or USB drive stored in a safe location, like a trusted friend’s home.

This ensures that even if your home is affected by a fire, flood, or storm, your most important keepsakes remain safe and recoverable.

*If you preserve your keepsakes with Plum Print, we keep digital files of your books forever. In the event they are lost or damaged in a natural disaster, we vow to reprint them free of charge.

6. Create a Keepsake Emergency Plan

Just as you would prepare important documents for an emergency, create a disaster plan for your keepsakes.

• Identify your most important sentimental items and store them properly.

• Create a grab-and-go bag with smaller keepsakes in case of a sudden evacuation.

• Regularly update and back up your digital files to keep your memories current and secure.

Taking these small steps now can prevent the heartbreak of losing irreplaceable family memories.