Getting by in an emergency

A few years ago I posted about the challenges of living in a rural area during emergencies, especially if the power goes out.  Living in a 135 year old house which only received electricity in probably the 1940s or 1950s has it’s challenges.  I talked about having alternatives and backup plans.  Like oil lamps, wood or kerosene heat, propane stoves or water heaters.  But sometimes you just need a little electricity.

You could buy a huge generator but it’s difficult to justify spending thousands of dollars on equipment than you may only use once every few years.  I’m going to talk about a few items which might make your life easier for about $100 or less, for most of them together.

The first are having a hand-cranked flashlight and / or radio.  You can pick these up at your local big box store for under $10.  They’re usually in the camping section but check around.  They’re not terrific but work well in a pinch.

My next recommendation is having a power bank.  This allows you to plug in your phones and USB items.  You just charge them up (when the electricity is on) and they’ll hold a charge for a long time.  Keep them in a drawer or place where you can find them easily.  It seems the power always goes out when my phone is nearly dead.  They’re smaller than a paperback book and cost about $30-$40. Useful for camping, too, but not recommended to keep in a hot car.

Another handy item is a solar powered charger.  The one I have folds up to about the size of a wallet. You can set it out, or attach it to your backpack as you’re hiking.  Mine also has a built in flashlight.  It has a couple of USB ports, too.  Costs vary depending upon size and power, but again, around $30-$40.

Finally, a little item that I LOVE is my multi-purpose flashlight / radio.  This is the neatest little gadget.  It comes with a lithium battery to insert and a little screwdriver.  The battery can be charged by hand-cranking or it has a small solar charger on top.  It seems to hold a charge for a long time.  The charger flips up to show a good light for reading.  In addition, it has a very good flashlight on one side and some USB connections on the other.  The radio is terrific!  It has AM/FM/ and weather band.  Very good reception with the fold out antenna.  It also has a built-in SOS alarm and light, and a motion sensor good for 3 meters.  The cost is about $40.

I recommend that you keep a few of these items handy for emergencies but they’re also very useful for camping or putting into a GO bag.  A small waterproof box or bag will make them readily available for use.  The links below will take you to more information about some of these items.

Hiluckey Solar Chargerhttps://www.amazon.com/25000mAh-Hiluckey-Portable-External-Smartphones/dp/B08CSD9VWY/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=hiluckey+solar+charger&qid=1613507019&sr=8-5

Multi-purpose Flashlight Radio https://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Radio%EF%BC%8C4000mAh-Solar-Portable-Flashlight-Lamp%EF%BC%8CCell/dp/B083TLZN7G/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=multipurpose+flashlight+radio&qid=1613507123&sr=8-4