Practical ways to survive when power dies

This has been another one of those hurricane years. My home in Atlanta got battered around a bit by Irma (it was a tropical storm when it reached us, but still a bit more than a stiff wind).

Several neighbors ended up with extra ventilation in their homes when trees crushed roofs. And countless folks in my area were without power for days. And yet what we experienced was trivial compared to those in the path of the hurricane.

It doesn’t take a hurricane to turn off your lights. Even a suicidal squirrel at the transformer can do it. And, depending on where you live ice storms, tornadoes and just the occasional falling branch will put you back in the dark ages for a bit.

If you’ve ever been in something like that — and I’ll bet you have — you know that it’s almost hopeless to pick up batteries, electrical lanterns and the like. Besides the fact that the weather is likely to keep you off the roads, stores sell out fast when a disaster like that hits.

So the time to prepare is now, while the weather is nice.

Let’s talk about some practical ways to survive the darkness that surely will come to your home in one form or another.

First on anyone’s list should be batteries. I’m talking about the ordinary kind you can find at the supermarket. Get enough for all your radios and flashlights and fluorescent or LED camping lanterns.

I define “enough” as a fresh set of batteries for each device and enough to replace that fresh set when it is exhausted. These batteries will work fine even if you store them for years. So buy plenty and, after they’ve been on the shelf for a year or so, use the ones you have stored and replace them with fresh batteries.

By the way, it isn’t necessary to store batteries in the freezer or refrigerator. They’ll last for several years stored at normal room temperature. Avoid rechargeable batteries – you probably won’t have the capability to recharge them and, generally, they don’t last as long as the plain old batteries I’m suggesting.

Next, buy an extra uninterruptible power supply and keep it plugged in but unused. Get the kind of UPS that you’d ordinarily connect to your computer. But don’t hook it up to any of your gadgets.

Let me explain why. These things furnish regular AC power from the outlets when the power is off. So by keeping one connected, you’ll have a ready source of electricity to charge cellphones and laptop computers or to serve as a power supply for your wireless phones. For $100 or less, you can have an emergency supply of AC. Think how handy that would be for times when the power has been out for more than a day.

One vital need during a real disaster is a way to monitor the news – to see if the roads are safe, to find out whether an evacuation has been ordered, or to just follow the weather. Every family needs a good battery powered radio. I’ll go an extra step and suggest that you get one that picks up the normal AM and FM bands but also has the ability to monitor emergency broadcasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

If you go to the Amazon site and type in weather radio in the search box, you’ll find plenty of radios like that — priced all the way down to about $30.

Cellphones are invaluable during an emergency. I mentioned charging them from a UPS earlier. Another way to keep talking when your main battery is depleted are battery powered chargers.

Several companies make emergency chargers that don’t need to be connected to AC. Basically these are just batteries that hook to the charging connector of your cellphone. Since each phone seems to use a different type of connector, you’ll need to buy one made specifically for the phone you use.

I’m going to assume you have flashlights and even some battery-operated lanterns. If not, stop reading and get some.

But even for those who are well-equipped, there’s one more thing to do. Pick up five or six emergency lights. These are the small lights that plug into an AC outlet. The batteries are constantly charging. When the AC goes out, these small lights kick in using the power from their batteries.

Why are these lights such a big deal for folks who have flashlights and lanterns? Think of them as toe savers. Instead of stubbing your toe in the dark as you look for your flashlights, you’ll have lowlevel lightning that will let you navigate the house.

Besides, if the emergency is huge — if, for instance, a tornado just hit your home — you won’t have time to look for flashlights. You need to get your family to safety if you can. These lights can save your life.

If any of these tips make sense for your home — and I think they do — buy what you need now. Don’t wait until the lights go out.