You can't plan for everything that might go wrong, but these programs can help you reduce the impact of misfortune.
| Tracking the Eye (Click to download)  |
Hurricane Watch (Click to download)  |
| If there's a storm brewing, Tracking the Eye presents satellite images, strike possibilities, and information on public advisories. You can hover your cursor over your town to see how far away the storm is. | Hurricane Watch revels in the details. Weather buffs can view endless information about storms past and present, from wind-speed circles to millibars of pressure, along every waypoint the storm hits. |
| Desktop Weather by The Weather Channel (Click to download)  |
WeatherBug (Click to download)  |
| Desktop Weather by The Weather Channel shows the current temperature, wind speed, and other information in an attractive interface. However, you have to register to view weather info in the program (but you can just view the forecasts on the Web site). | WeatherBug's registration and toolbar are optional. The program collects data from weather stations. The Storm Tracker module lets you view radar images of prominent storms and read relevant news stories. |
| Computerize Your Assets (Click to download)  |
Everything I Own (Click to download)  |
| The author of Computerize Your Assets wrote the program after realising how unprepared he was for the 2004 Florida hurricane series. The program lets you record everything you might need after a disaster, from a home inventory to contact information for organisations such as the Red Cross. | Buying appropriate insurance will help replace your replaceable belongings, but first you should document what you have. Everything I Own lets you add images, model and serial numbers, and even the location of an item in your home. The file menu provides an easy option for restoring data from a backup. |
| Acronis True Image (Click to download)  |
Backup2005 Pro (Click to download)  |
| The user-friendly Acronis True Image performs all its backup tasks without having to exit Windows. Incremental backups save only the sectors that have changed since your last backup. The program's wizard-based instructive interface suits home users -- and don't forget to keep backups somewhere they won't get destroyed if your computer does. | Backup2005 Pro expands on the profile concept with features such as a graphical representation of backup profiles and their destination folders. The program saves your data to FTP locations or burns the backup to CD or DVD. You can even encrypt while you back up. Power users should appreciate the functionality of this program. |
| TechRepublic's Disaster Planning and Recovery Pack (Click to download)  |
Earthquake 3D (Click to download)  |
| For IT professionals, it's not enough just to back up your personal computers -- you're responsible for entire networks. Planning for disasters as large as a hurricane or as small as a power failure is a job requirement, and TechRepublic (part of the CNET Networks family) wants to help. The articles in this PDF sampler point out the pitfalls of restoring a server, outline disaster plan needs, and present case studies. | Zoom and spin your way around the globe while viewing earthquakes in 3D. Adjust and customize the display to see earthquakes in a variety of different ways. Filter earthquakes by size and time--then select from many options that include quake indicators and map references. Earthquakes are shown in near real-time using the latest data from the USGS via the Internet. |
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