How does a freelancer plan for disasters? For years, I simply prayed they wouldn’t happen and scrambled when they did. But as I’ve wrestled with the wrath of nature, spotty utility service and just plain rotten luck, I’ve taped together a few safety nets. They won’t impress the experts, but they don’t cost much and so far have been reasonably effective.

Power outages. I’m on a weak part of the grid, so my power goes out on a regular basis, sometimes for no apparent reason. I have my PC and office equipment on an APC surge-protected uninterruptible power supply that cost less than $100. It protects my PC when the power flicks on and off. It provides backup power to keep everything running for 20 minutes after the electricity stops, then shuts everything down in an orderly way – so no data is lost nor sensitive electronics damaged. If my power stays off for longer than it takes to walk the dog, I have a couple of options. I can devote the time to phone work, placing voice mails or doing interviews. If I’m on deadline to write a story, I can move to my battery-powered laptop. (I keep current projects on a USB drive so I can plug it into the laptop when needed.) When battery juice is gone, or if I must have e-mail and Web access, I move to the nearest Starbucks or to a nearby friend or relative’s house.

Phone problems. If I depended on Verizon to fix phone problems promptly, I would have been out of business a long time ago. I have two phone lines, so if I have problems with one I can usually use the other. But my two-line phone can get fried by a power surge, despite the fact that it’s plugged into the surge protector. It seems to happen during thunderstorms and I suspect the surge is coming through the phone wiring itself rather than the electrical connection. I go through two to three phones a year because of this. So I’m prepared by having a back-up new two-line phone – brand new and still in the box –in my storage closet.

Hard drive crashes. For me, backing up data was like dieting. I could stick with it for a week or two, but that was about it. After years of dodging this particular disaster, I finally found a painless way to safeguard my data. Mozy is a service that for $5 a month automatically backs up my PC every night, or whenever I want. It’s also handy when I’m on the move with my laptop, because I can log into Mozy and grab any files that I might need.

Illness. Here’s where I’m most vulnerable. My latest disaster recovery story covered how IT departments can prepare for the swine flu pandemic. But there was little advice that I could use. In a company of one, I’m in deep trouble if the one falls ill. Good thing I’m healthy and tough. When I had an emergency appendectomy a few years ago, I took my files to the ER and worked while waiting to see a doctor. I was a little late on the story, but got it done.

Stretching the technology, and the truth. When I set up my home office in 1998, I ordered two regular phones lines plus an ISDN line for my Internet connection. When setting up the order, the Verizon rep assured me that I was within the ISDN distance limits of Verizon’s central office. When my ISDN line explicably and routinely went down, technicians regularly called to my house were stumped. Then one day an unusually competent tech casually mentioned that I was located right on the cusp of the distance limits. After I got done screaming, I cancelled my ISDN line and got a cable modem.

Tag-team ducking. This is when Verizon sends one crew – the inside crew – to diagnose the problem. That crew quickly determines that it’s an outside problem, so the outside crew is called in. When the outside crew arrives, it can’t find the problem and insists that the inside crew return. This continues until the customer meets the Verizon crew at the front door with a shotgun.

Maintenance of pure profit. My latest Verizon fiasco was just last week. I’m renovating my office and while the drywall is off I called Verizon to check the condition of the phone wiring. Two technicians showed up. One’s job was apparently to chat me up while the other expertly wielded a screwdriver to remove the faceplate in an effort to look like he was doing something. (The wall was wide open.) The verdict was that the wiring was OK but was vulnerable because it was not enclosed by a gauge box. Great, I said, go ahead and do it. Verizon, however, doesn’t do gauge boxes. For the $12 per month I’ve been paying for more than 10 years for Verizon to maintain my inside wiring (that’s over $1,500), I don’t get a $5 plastic gauge box that will probably help avoid another service call.

I’d switch to the Comcast triple play, but its technical service is on a par with Verizon’s. (More to come in a future post.) I’m looking for a third option. Voice over IP? Drop the land lines and go totally mobile? I’ve heard great things about FIOS, a fiber-to-the-curb service rumored to be coming to my neighborhood any day now for the last year. And who provides FIOS? You guessed it – Verizon. If it comes, I’ll probably give it a try. Maybe, just maybe, I stand a chance of becoming that rare and endangered breed: a satisfied Verizon customer.

Until the computer breaks, or the phone goes on the fritz, or the power goes out. One of the few negatives about being a freelancer is that I have no IT department. When something goes wrong with one of the machines that I rely on to make my living, it’s up to me to fix it or to hire the right person to fix it.

It’s ironic that I write about IT and electronics, but I can’t fix my own technical problems. That always amazes people. But it shouldn’t. Do you expect the health reporter of your local TV station to be able to diagnose and cure your illness?

I have been blessed in that I have a good friend who runs an IT consulting business. When I have a major problem with my PC, Dave is usually available to come to the rescue. (Thanks, Dave!) However, Dave is spending more and more of his time at his beach house, which is four hours away. Good for Dave. Bad for me.

I’ve developed a few coping strategies over the years, which I will share over the next few weeks. I ask that you add your comments and tips as well. Maybe we can develop a “Freelancers Technical Survival Guide” of sorts. Meanwhile, may your power stay on and the black screen of death never darken your desk.