Whether you believe in the near approach of apocalyptic times or not, you have to admit that a more local disaster could strike at any time. But a lot of homes are not equipped to handle natural disasters, accidents, and other events that could mean you run out of food and lose external connections if you aren’t prepared.
Every household should have a storage space dedicated to addressing such a possibility. Food storage, water, and medical supplies are the top items for adequate home emergency preparedness, but if a real disaster strikes, you’ll want more than just the essentials.
Certain gadgets could make any emergency easier to navigate. Here are ten pieces of essential hardware to add to your home’s emergency storage.
Smartphones are highly convenient when the rest of society is working properly, but they aren’t the best option in a substantial emergency. Their batteries die quickly, and a single drop of foreign liquid might render them totally unusable. It’s smart to invest in a rugged phone that can survive the elements and serve as a more dependable tool for communications in an emergency.
If cell towers stop working during a disaster in your region, it’s vital to have another backup in the form of a landline or walkie talkies with headsets. These are much less likely to be affected by power outages and will empower you to communicate in an emergency.
You’ll want to stay up to date on what’s happening in the outside world. It’s unlikely you’ll have television service when the power goes down, but you can hear news updates with a crank radio. It’s powered by manually cranking a handle, and radio waves are less affected by major disasters. You’ll be able to hear what’s going on and decide on your next steps to stay safe.
You should always keep a stock of water in case something happens, but if you should run out, a water purifier will be a lifesaver. Top-of-the-line purifiers can purify your own urine, although you probably won’t need something that heavy duty. You just need something that can kill germs and filter out unwanted organisms in freshwater sources such as lakes and rivers.
Much of our world runs on electricity, including our communication devices and entertainment. In a real emergency, entertainment will not a big priority, but you won’t want your cell phone to die. With solar-charging plates, you can harness the power of the sun to power up your battery and make contact with whoever you need to.
A lot of power outages are caused by winter storms. If the power goes out in -20 degree weather, you’ll need a way to stay warm. Invest in a quality space heater that’s operated either by gas, battery, or hand crank.
A hand-cranked space heater is preferable, since it doesn’t require anything but a strong arm to operate. It also provides dual benefits, since you’ll stay warmer from having to crank it as well as from the heat it puts out. However, you may desire something that can at least run on batteries or gas while you sleep.
Although you could live off cold canned beans during an emergency, it’ll be much more pleasant if you have a way to cook food. A camp stove uses propane, so as long as you have a good stock of propane gas in your emergency preparedness room, you’ll be able to eat a few hot meals during any kind of emergency.
A generator for your home is bulky to store and pretty expensive. It’s not feasible for most people to purchase and store one, but you don’t want to be entirely without power if you can help it.
The solution is a hand-crank generator that will produce a small amount of power when you need it most. It won’t power your entire home, but it might allow you a hot shower or enable you to recharge your cell phone.
Cold weather can do terrible things to your car, such as drain your battery. You don’t want to be stuck in a dangerous situation without an option to get away. A compact jump starter is easy to store and keep accessible. If your battery isn’t too damaged, a jump starter can get you up and running in no time.
It might seem obvious, but it’s easy to take your lights for granted until you don’t have any. Think about getting an emergency light that stays plugged into a power outlet, charged and ready for when the power goes out. It’s bright enough to light the whole room.
You should also have an assortment of flashlights, batteries, lamps, and any other preferred light sources on hand. Each item should go into a designated emergency preparedness space in your home. It should be readily accessible, and easily organized. When an emergency hits, your place will be stocked and ready.
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