Using sound judgment to be more self-reliant.
The two most likely reasons for an EMP are a nuclear explosion or solar flare. This post discusses the damage an EMP may cause and actions that you can take to prevent or manage the results of the EMP. A large Electromagnetic Pulse EMP would cause widespread problems. This post is part of our Common Sense Preparedness series, where our goal is to help you be prepared for whatever life throws at you. [Read more…]
The power grid is one of those things that most of us take for granted, but it's time to acknowledge that it's getting older, reaching capacity and under attack. In the article “Bracing for a big power grid attack: ‘One is too many'“, USA Today states “About once every four days, part of the nation's power grid — a system whose failure could leave millions in the dark — is struck by a cyber or physical attack.” Without a preparedness blueprint in place, most of us would be in bad shape with an extended grid outage. [Read more…]
As part of our effort to be prepared for everyday emergencies, we went on a hunt for the best cheap flashlight. Our target was a durable, inexpensive high lumen flashlight that we could give to children and not worry if it was lost. It needed to be a flashlight bright enough for a light source during power outages and lighting around the yard at night.
There are thousands of online searches each month for “battery operated heaters” and “battery powered heaters”. Small individual battery powered heaters for jackets, blankets, gloves, boots and 500BTU 12v car battery heaters do exist. The bad news: A large portable battery powered space heater does not exist.
Good News: There are some options available you might not know about. You can buy safe indoor propane heaters.
It is possible a portable battery operated space heater might exist in the future. (Newer batteries like the 18650 can hold a lot more charge than old fashioned alkaline batteries, so change is happening.) We will update this post as technology changes. Last Update: Oct 2018.
My husband, August, did a ton of research to find the best rechargeable battery and the best battery charger for emergencies and every day use, so I asked him to help put together this post to share what he found out. We identify the best value and absolute best AA, AAA and 18650 rechargeable battery in this post. We also review a 21 watt solar panel that provides 5 volt USB power and emergency radios with built in solar and hand crank chargers to charge USB devices. [Read more…]
