Fire heavily damaged Chris and Julie Blair's El Paso, Illinois, home Monday afternoon, but the couple was able to save some personal possessions from the flames. El Paso Fire Chief Dale Uphoff reported that the fire was contained to the upper part of the two-story house, but the entire home sustained smoke and water damage. Damage to the house, which Uphoff said was a total loss, exceeded $100,000.
City Clerk Dave Fever said the family was able to recover some of their personal belongings, including some items of sentimental value. "The main computer was downstairs, so it was OK," Fever said. "Julie had been using it to work on their genealogy for a few months and all those records were fine."
Fever said the family also recovered some photo albums that sustained only minor water damage.
Here is a question for you: if a fire or other major disaster strikes your home, will your genealogy hard work be preserved? How about valuable family photographs? Perhaps now is the time to think about an off-site backup process.
