When I lived in an area prone to a lot of lightning storms, I got into the habit of putting my backups into anti static bags, then into a cardboard lined steel ammo can with a desiccant pack.

Steel ammo cans can be purchased at any surplus store and many outdoor/hunting stores. They will protect from lightning as well as electromagnetic pulse. They come with a rubber gasket making them waterproof, but they are not fireproof - if your house burns down around the ammo can, the heat will destroy your drives.

So, if you are really paranoid, get a fireproof safe big enough to store the ammo can...

In my second year of high school I built my own 8 element Yagi antenna and used it to contact MIR. Contact was shortly after sunset, all I had to do was point my antenna at the right dot of light moving across the sky and move the antenna to track. When the space station entered Earth's shadow I just did my best to continue earlier movement.

The radio was something I had built myself from a kit in the summer before my freshman year at high school.

Doing something new or unique for your project is praiseworthy; something people have done for decades with mostly off the shelf parts, not so much.

Earlier this year I renewed my passport book and also requested a passport card. The book has a shielded cover so it can't be read when closed, and the card came with a foil envelope that effectively shields the RFID chip from being read. I wonder if the NY and WA licenses come with something similar.