Protect and Save What You Treasure.
Save your stuff from a disaster
How To Save Your Stuff From A Disaster:
Complete Instructions on How To Preserve and Save Your Family History, Heirlooms and Collectibles
Have you ever lost a possession that was dear to you in an earthquake, hurricane or fire? Porcelains that broke, a book that was ruined by water or photos that were burned or blown away? What are you afraid of loosing in the next "big one"? This book is ammunition to fight the fight and protect the innocent... your family's history.
I've been involved in nine "major" disasters: three earthquakes (Silomar 1971, Whittier 1989 and Northridge 1994), five fires (Santa Barbara 1990, 2008, Oakland 1993, 2 in 2009) and one flood (Santa Barbara 1995) and though people loose homes, cars, toys etc., by far the items for which I hear the most crying are the things that make up a person's family history... things that cannot be replaced with insurance money.
George C.A lifesaver!
I was evacuated from my house during one of four fires in the Santa Barbara area this past year. Luckily, my house was spared, but I did experience some smoke damage. How to Save Your Stuff gave me some great tips and had referrals for suppliers of preservation materials. I hope there are no more fires, but if there are, I know how to save all of my sentimental items.
D. DuplantierA must have book
This is a must own book. It's great for everyone but especially important if you live in costal communities. I wish I had discovered this book prior to Hurricane Katrina. I now know how to properly store and save my important documents and photographs. The book is easy to read with many illustrations and it had become an important part of preserving my family's history and cultural identity.
Jeannene KottGreat Resource Even When There's No Disaster
How to Save Your Stuff is full of tips on packing, framing, storing and repairing with materials and where to find them. These are simple, straight forward, directions that anyone can follow. When I started reading it I thought I had to find squirrel's femur bones in Africa to repair my carved heirlooms. Alas, it was only a type of glue and Scott tells you where you can locate it. I can do this!! Not just for disasters, its a recipe for aging treasures growing old gracefully.
VALUABLE Before AND After the Unthinkable
After reading this great "How to..." book, we made lots of changes in our home to secure our stuff against earthquakes, mudslides, etc. When a tremor did come and lots of our neighbors lost their valuables, ours were still anchored safely and we lost nothing!(Not to mention the daily tremors of grandchildren in the house.) I credit the knowledge of Scott Haskins 100%!
Saving your stuff is not so hard when you have expert advice!
After receiving Save Your Stuff..., I paged through the book and was amazed at the variety of help for preserving all my important papers, old photographs, family treasures, and family genealogy documents. I am sure that almost everyone can learn some very helpful procedures to follow when trying to save personal possessions for future generations. Now I need to get to work!!!
There is almost a spiritual identity that people feel for the items that tell their story.
A story that can be about anything sacred to the individual, about their parents, their ancestors, or their pasts. I remember when Joan Rivers was talking to Dorothy Adams of Conservation Materials Ltd. about Quake Wax on QVC TV and among the hype, hustle, lights and make up (she wore a lot!!... can we talk!?) there was a moment when Joan softened and became emotional when she realized that had she used this product, she would have saved a dear ceramic keepsake from the Northridge Earthquake. She became really quite emotional about an item that was worth very little money.
So it is with the photos, letters and certificates, portraits and lots of other "stuff" that may be unceremoniously dropped on you after Auntie passes on (of course, there are the lucky ones that inherit something valuable too). Whether you're a collector or you're old enough to be an antique yourself, there are lots of hands on, how to instructions in this book that will help you to protect and preserve your stuff. God bless you for taking your project to heart. Preserving your family's history will benefit more people than just you.
