ON NEW HOMES
September, as proclaimed by President Joe Biden, is National Preparedness Month, which aims to highlight the importance of having a plan in place in the event of emergencies such as power outages, fires and floods. A 2021 poll conducted by Wells Fargo found that 71% of Americans didn’t have a de- tailed emergency plan in the event of a natural disaster. Having a robust plan for a variety of emergencies means that you will be able to better protect your loved ones, your belongings, and your home if disaster strikes. Ready.gov, which organizes National Preparedness Month, chooses a different theme each year, with this year’s theme being “Take Control in 1, 2, 3” which is focused on ensuring that older adults, especially ones living in areas disproportionately affected by disasters, have emergency plans in place. To help you accomplish all of your emergency prep goals, we’ve come up with a list of products to always have in your home.
hhInjury needn’t follow catastrophic weather events like tornadoes and hurricanes. Often, people injure themselves performing mundane tasks like cutting their finger on a knife. Despite how often little things like that can happen, 44% of Americans don’t have first-aid kits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s important to keep a first aid kit in your house to deal with unexpected injuries big and small. The Protect Life 100-piece First Aid Kit is the best first aid kit thanks to its compact size, lightweight build, and the vast number of essentials it can hold.
Protect Life First Aid Kit, $15 on Amazon
You’ve probably experienced a power outage before, but it can still come as a shock when it happens. With major storms becoming more frequent thanks to climate change, it stands to reason that power outages will become more frequent as well. If you don’t have a backup generator, you can mitigate the inconvenience of power outages by using a portable power station, which can keep your appliances and electronics up and running for a long period of time. The Bluetti AC200P is a heavy hitter when it comes to ease of use and long-lasting power.
BLUETTI Portable Power Station AC200P 2000Wh LiFePO4 Battery Backup, $1199 on Amazon
A more affordable (and compact) option is to use a power bank to keep essentials like cell phones and other small devices charged. Of the portable battery packs we’ve tested, we found the Mophie Powerstation to be the best thanks to its compact size and fast charging times. Plus, it’s powerful enough to charge two phones at once or one larger tablet.
Mophie Powerstation, $36 on Amazon