I’m Geoff Weber, founder of Heirloom, and I’ve spent decades thinking about how to protect the uninsurable. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo tore through my city of Charleston, South Carolina. As a US Navy sailor, I provided humanitarian assistance to the tsunami victims in Southeast Asia, where entire communities were erased in 2004. Now, as massive fires rage through Los Angeles, consuming homes and dreams, I’m reminded again of the fragility of our personal histories.
Evacuations save lives. Insurance can rebuild houses. But what can safeguard the irreplaceable? Your family photos, home videos, and letters — those snapshots of joy, love, and shared humanity — are far more vulnerable than we like to admit. They are usually stored on outdated, deteriorating physical media like VHS tapes, 8mm film, or printed photographs. If they’re gone, they’re gone forever.
The Uninsurable Losses
We’ve all seen the haunting images of families sifting through ashes for anything salvageable. I’ve heard the heart-wrenching stories of people saying, "I would give anything to have my family’s memories back." In the chaos of fleeing a fire, no one grabs the box of VHS tapes or the album of faded Polaroids. Yet those items contain the stories that define us — weddings, first steps, lazy Sunday afternoons.
A Post-Hurricane Helene World
This year, Hurricane Helene showed us the stark reality of environmental disasters. When water surged through neighborhoods, it wasn’t just buildings and cars that were swept away. Memories stored on physical media were destroyed by mold and irreparable damage. And now, in Los Angeles, flames are doing what water did in the hurricane: erasing histories.
The Cloud: Your Memory Vault
As someone who’s witnessed the power of nature to destroy, I can tell you this: the only true way to secure your family’s history is by digitizing it and storing it on the cloud. Unlike physical media, digital files can’t be burned in a fire or swept away by a flood. Files are stored redundantly, across multiple secure locations, ensuring that no single disaster can erase them.
At Heirloom, we specialize in helping families rescue and preserve their most treasured memories. We digitize everything: VHS tapes, 8mm reels, photo albums, and more. Once digitized, these memories are uploaded to a secure cloud storage platform, where they can be accessed from anywhere, shared with loved ones, and safeguarded against loss.
Why Wait?
I understand the hesitance. Life gets busy. You think you’ll have more time. But disasters don’t wait, and they certainly don’t send a warning. If you’re reading this and your memories are still sitting in a dusty box in the attic or garage, don’t delay. The time to act is now.
A Personal Plea
I’ve been where many of you are now — staring at devastation and wondering what could have been done differently. It’s my mission to ensure no one else has to face the pain of losing their family’s history. Let’s not leave our memories to chance. Let’s take action to protect the uninsurable.
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