The embodiments of the invention provide methods of protecting data blocks while writing to a storage array, wherein storage units in the storage array include write logs. The data protection level of the write logs is equal to or greater than the data protection level of the storage units. Moreover, the write logs have metadata describing contents of the write logs, wherein the metadata include a sequence number identifying the age of the metadata. Each of the data blocks is a member of a parity group having addressable data blocks and first parity blocks. The addressable data blocks have at least one host data block and at least one associated data block.