Let's Talk About Lighting Options in a Power Emergency

You already know how important it is to be prepared for storms and their aftermath; it is especially important to be ready in case the power goes out.  When the sun goes down, the lighting that we tend to take for granted is no longer operating, not only in our homes, but on our street as well.

So, let’s talk about some lighting options:

•  A collection of rugged LED flashlights of various sizes is probably the most basic of lighting options.  Common sense dictates that there should be numerous flashlights around the house at all times as well as some tucked away with emergency supplies.

  • Consider having at least some flashlights that are equipped with an SOS strobe because it could be a lifesaver if someone falls and cannot get up, for example.  The SOS strobe light can be placed in a window or even just pointed at a window as a signal for help or to identify the home for emergency services.

• LED lanterns and table lights can provide general room lighting while being hands-free.  Many models are rechargeable.

• Rechargeable headlamps provide hands-free directional lighting and can be especially helpful if you need to go outside at night, or if you need to do something out in the garage or outside while the power is out.

• Rechargeable or solar-powered nightlights may help keep you safe, especially if you are used to using them.  Placing them around the house could be especially helpful for anyone using a cane or walker in order to help prevent a trip and fall.

  • Some models of nightlights can be used on a normal day-to-day basis and will come on automatically when the power goes out.  Some can then be used as a flashlight.

  • Some rechargeable models have motion sensors, and their charge will last longer than the “always on” models.

  • There are various levels of brightness available with nightlights, with the brighter light probably being better for people with poor vision.

• There are clip-on lights that can be attached to a walker or wheelchair, and they can be turned on when needed.  Always keeping this light attached to a walker is not a bad plan because it will then be available in case of an unexpected outage. (Using a hand-held flashlight doesn’t work when you’re using a walker or wheelchair because you need both hands free to safely navigate with your walker.)

• Solar lighting options:

  • A solar-powered motion sensor light located near each entry door, and in other areas around the house, can let you know if someone or some animal is near the house.

  • Solar-powered landscaping lighting can be helpful if you need to go out to take the dog for an evening walk or before turning in. (That headlamp may be helpful here too.)  Such lighting can also be used in the house at night for additional lighting and then can be taken back outside during the day to recharge.

• Candles and oil lamps.  These can be sources of light, but much care should be used, especially if there are children or pets in the home.  As you well know, candles should not be left unattended, and they need to be placed where they are not a fire hazard.  (We watched a “doomsday” movie recently and there was a scene where a teenage girl had lots of candles burning in her bedroom and as the scene progressed, she left the room to go outside, and she left all the candles burning unattended!  It really gave us the shudders!

Some Additional Thoughts

So, as you can see from the list above, there are some excellent lighting possibilities that you can incorporate into your prepping plan, and, as with most things, the lighting options that you pick will need some attention:

• Be sure to occasionally check all the battery-operated lights to make sure they work and that the batteries are not corroded.

• When storing battery-operated lights, removing the batteries will keep any corrosion from ruining your lights.

• Needless to say, all headlamps, flashlights and lanterns, etc. should be brought out from storage and fully charged if a storm is expected.

One more thought.  A portable power station for recharging flashlights, nightlights, headlamps, etc. as well as electronic devices such as cell phones can be very helpful.  Portable power stations can also be used to operate small fans for heat relief.  Portable power stations come in many different sizes and output levels, and if carrying one is an issue, it can be placed on a moving dolly.  If you attach a rope to the dolly, you can easily move the station to where you need it.

Part 2 of Our Video Series on LED Lighting

For part 2 of our LED lighting series, we rummaged through our home and cars and find even more LED lighting options that you can use to light your home and property in a power outage.  If we forgot about enough other lighting options such that we were able to make a second video talking about lights, it’s a fair bet that you may have a BUNCH of stuff in your home that you may not think about when you have a need for portable LED lighting.

If it's a hurricane, tropical storm, blizzard or other emergency where you might lose power, your survival might depend on you having multiple LED lighting options at the ready.

In this video we cover a bunch of additional lighting options that we found in our vehicles as well as what we found in our EVAC cooler (the orange cooler that you may have heard about if you visit our channel.)  We cover LED flashlights, Signal flashlights, flashing signal wands, lights on our Midland weather radio, Dewalt rechargeable lights, and strobe and trailer lights.

Many of these units take batteries, others take large rechargeable batteries, still others can be charged from a vehicle or plugged into a portable power station.  Lots of flexibility here!

Be prepared and be safe!  We cover a lot of this material and much more in our book, Real Life Hurricane Prep, which is available on Amazon.

LED Flashlights Are Very Handy Tools in a Power Outage.

As we have said before, preparation is key. Do not wait until the last minute. Start creating your hurricane emergency checklist today. Your future self will thank you!

Dan n Mary