What you can do to recover VHS and Beta video tapes damaged by cyclone or flood water.

Do not try and play water damaged tapes, even if you think that you have cleaned and dried them without doing the following.

Your tapes may be contaminated with who knows what, so please handle them with care. Wear gloves, work in the open air, and wear a mask.

Do not try to dry out the VHS tape, this will permanently damage the tape. Gently swish the tape in a bucket of rainwater or distilled water, but as distilled water is unlikely to be easily available, bottled water is the next choice. Anything that leaves residue (soap, etc.) will likely clog the tape heads if it isn't completely removed. Tap water, and even filtered water, contains chlorine. Chlorine will promote the oxidation of your tape, so AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS.

Next, you have to open the shell manually. Sometimes the casing is welded or rusted shut. In this case, you will need to pry the case apart. This will necessitate the purchase of a new tape shell. Remember, always keep the tapes wet, do not let them dry out.

Once the tape is placed in a new shell and is sufficiently cleaned with the water, then you will need to dry it out using a laboratory oven. Oh, you don't have a laboratory oven lying around! You must NOT use a domestic oven, as the temperature varies over a wide range, and if you do exceed 65 deg C you could just melt your tapes into mush. If you insist on continuing to do it yourself there is another way to dry your tapes, not as good as a professional would do, and not as secure. Find some ordinary domestic white rice. Sprinkle it on a pan, and place the rice in warm oven, about 110 deg C, for about 1/2 to 1 hour. DO NOT PLACE THE TAPE IN THE OVEN! Only the white rice. Now cover the damp cleaned tape with the rice. Dry rice is a desiccant, ie it absorbs moisture. Repeat as necessary with more rice until the tape is dry. (You can of course use the white rice technique to dry other wet items.) Will your tape be playable? We don't know. It depends on lots of factors. It will however be dry.

PLEASE, PLEASE just get your friends and families to have their valuable old tapes and films transferred to DVD BEFORE disaster strikes, preferably at YesVideo!