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When the power goes out during a storm, it's an inconvenience. When it goes out during
a flood, being prepared with other power sources can be the difference between being rescued
and being swept away. Of course, having a full-sized generator would
be great for keeping the lights on in your house, but they aren't cheap, and are usually
not easy to carry with you should you have to leave. If you decide to get a generator,
be sure you fully understand how it works. Contact your local fire department for tips
on how to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, and how to avoid electrical back feed that
can damage your home, power lines, and harm nearby electrical workers. Again, make sure
to learn about your generator BEFORE a flood or other emergency strikes.
For flashlights and other small devices, it's a good idea to always have a supply of spare
batteries on hand. Most batteries can easily be carried with you if you are forced to evacuate,
but you need to make sure that the positive and negative poles don't touch to prevent
the batteries from inadvertently conducting electricity and thereby losing their charge.
One easy way to store batteries is to keep them in their original packaging. Or a battery
case such as the ones offered by Link or PowerPax may be a better space saving option. If you
want to avoid having a ton of batteries, a hand-cranked flashlight, like the powerful
LED Torch-Crank Light from Goal Zero can help light your way, even if you run out of batteries.
You may also want to check into solar chargers, They're a great way to keep your cell phone,
tablet or rechargeable batteries charged up. They're really simple to use...Once the rain
is over, simply find a flat spot exposed to the sun, lay out your solar panel, and plug
in your device. Powerfilm offers a 30-watt foldable solar charger, in addition to their
other roll-up models. A nice feature about the Powerfilm panels is that they also have
a variety of adaptors and cords that are capable of charging everything from USB compatible
devices to boat and car batteries. You can also check out chargers from Solio and Brunton,
among other brands, which offer several different types of solar chargers to meet your power
and portability needs. Lastly, we suggest investing in a good weather
radio that lets you hear local weather advisories, news broadcasts and official warnings and
evacuation orders. Midland Radios offers various models with many different features and power
options to fit your needs including wall chargeable, battery-operated and hand-crank.
Be prepared by having multiple power options so you can stay informed or call for help
in a weather or flood emergency.