It’s official: I have slacked lately as far as keeping up with the website is concerned! I have a good excuse though, there was a hurricane in Ohio! That excuse may seem as far fetched as, “the dog ate my homework”, but honestly… the great state of Ohio took on Hurricane Ike last Sunday. Obviously, we didn’t have anywhere close to the amount of damage that was done in Texas and the surrounding areas, but we were definitely taken by surprise when the National Weather Service issued that Ohio did indeed get hit by a Level 1 Hurricane. The highest winds were clocked in at 75 mph and the majority of the state was without power for several days and some areas were without power for a week.
There were several issues that influenced the chaos that ensued with our state government, number one being that no one saw this coming and no one ever thought that a hurricane could produce that much damage so far inland. Another reason being that our state and local governments were in no way prepared to deal with such an incident due to the first reason. Yet another reason was that we sent much needed aid down to Texas in the form of our electrical workers and we had to call for them back to take care of business back home. The final reason being that citizens of the Greater Columbus area (which is all that I am speaking for)…go insane over inclement weather conditions. If we get an inch of snow, our weather men go insane– in fact, there is even a new rule if that if there is a tornado watch– not a warning– but a watch where conditions are favorable even though there hasn’t been any spotted activity, they blow the tornado sirens. The rule used to be that they would blow these sirens if there was a tornado warning where activity has been spotted and you should seek cover, but now they are blowing sirens at strong winds and everything else! I agree that it’s better to be safe than sorry, but if you blow the sirens over nothing and then we are actually in danger, some people may ignore it…you know, like the boy who cried wolf!
Luckily, Brett and I only lost power for 7 hours which is nothing compared to our friends and family who were without power for several days and had to throw away a lot of their food. We also didn’t have any damage done to our house or the surrounding area, even though a few trees were down around us. Thankfully a lot of citizens are volunteering their time to clean up the area and assist their neighbors who need help clearing out fallen trees, and I have heard that this urge to help is present in Texas, as well– and they will need all of the help that they can get! If you were affected by Hurricane Ike, or any other hurricane for that matter, I hope that all is well and that the damage was minimal.
This was a unique experience that I certainly took a lot from, one being that Brett and I were only sort of prepared for such an event to take place. There were even more people that were completely taken by surprise and didn’t have anything on hand! People were waiting in line for hours just to buy some batteries or a bag of ice (in an attempt to save their food), and stores were selling out of these things, plus generators and radios. This event proved to us the importance of being prepared for inclement weather and once things settled down and the majority of stores reopened after restocking and getting their power, Brett and I set out to make an official Home Safety Kit. The main purpose of the kit is to help you when the power goes out, but it’s also just good to have this stuff around the house for any other event or emergency. If you don’t have some sort of Home Kit, I hope that you consider my list and the possibility of putting one together to have on hand just in case!
American Red Cross Battery Powered Radio
buy new: $30.00There are some pretty heavy duty battery powered/crank radios available out there and you can stop by a hardware store or a place like Target to shop around for one that suits your needs. I was fortunate enough to receive a crank radio from work that had a built-in flashlight; if you cranked it for two minutes, the battery held a 20 minute charge. The reception actually came in pretty well and I was shocked to see that it went to use because when they gave it to me I thought to myself, “Thanks, but when am I ever going to use this?“. A lot of places are running out of stock for these radios, mainly due to the severe weather that swept the nation, and this holds true to the internet! Amazon has a great selection of radios, such as this American Red Cross radio, which is multifunctional as a flashlight, AM/FM/Weatherband radio with a cell phone charger and of course, it’s at a reasonable price. Having a radio was so helpful because it provided us with some entertainment to break the eerie silence, but it also gave us weather updates…all in all, it’s a great thing to have in your Home Safety Kit!
Drip Battery-Operated Candle
buy new: $24.99The mayor of Columbus actually urged citizens to refrain from using candles as to avoid “having to worry about” flames or accidental fires…but if you are responsible and make sure to account for all of your burning candles, they certainly provide light and are a great alternative if you run out of batteries for all of your gadgets that require their use! We have at least one candle in every room of the house on any given day, but even still I found myself rounding them all up into the family room (our central space during the blackout). If it’s the flame you are worried about, you can always invest in some battery-powered candles, such as this 6″ battery-operated candle. They are a little bit on the pricey side, but obviously they last forever as long as you keep replacing the batteries. If you want to shop around for these candles, you can find them at Wal*mart or Target, but be forewarned that they will be a little pricey given their longevity.
Emergency Lanterns
buy new: $12.99An even better alternative to candles would be battery-powered lanterns as they provide a greater light source than that of candles and are safe and easy to carry around. I found this set of three emergency lanterns for a really great price and would serve your purpose well. Amazon also had a lot of other more heavy-duty battery-powered lanterns available, especially for those of you that enjoy camping, but for the purpose of having something that is easy to store and accessible to you in your time of need– I think these will do the job just fine! You can also look into kerosene lanterns which are also affordable and would come in handy…just make sure that you have kerosene on hand (the stores around here were actually running out of it during our power outage).
Uno Card Game
buy new: $5.94Whether that is a deck or cards or a big book of crossword puzzles, I strongly suggest that you throw some sort of entertainment into your Home Safety Kit because your options definitely dwindle down once the power is taken away from the equation. A deck of cards is a great option because it’s easy to store and there are so many different games that you can play, not to mention the fact that they are cheap! You can also look into getting specific card games like Uno which is also easy to store and fun for the whole family! A lot of people made mention of how having the power out actually encouraged families to sit down and put a puzzle together or play a board game and that it was nice to have that time available to do something together. I found that it was a good time to read a book, which is something that a lot of people just don’t seem to have the time to do anymore.
You should really have one of these in your house anyway…I, for one, have a first aid kit in my house, my car, and I even put one in Brett’s car! You never know when you’re going to need a Band-Aid and let me tell you, those are a pain in the ass to find in the dark– thus why it is considered convenient to have them in your Home Safety Kit! Whether you want to buy one at the store or put one together at yourself, The Red Cross has some useful information on what you should have in your kit and they even have an online store where you can buy a kit that suits your needs!
If you aren’t into the idea of having a ton of candles around and you don’t really have the storage for battery-powered lanterns or kerosene lamps…you can always stick with the item that is tried and true: a flashlight. I am the type of person that likes to have flashlights in different areas of the house just in case the lights go out. This plan saves me from being upstairs when the lights go out and having to stumble around down the stairs to the designated flashlight place. I could link you to fancy or cute flashlights, but honestly this is the type of thing that I’m pretty sure you can get just about anywhere… including gas stations (true story: I bought a flashlight at a gas station last summer, so that’s based on first hand experience).
You should make sure that you have backups of batteries and maybe even a lighter if you plan on having some candles on hand. Throw a pack of batteries in your safety box and only use them in an emergency…even though I know how tempting it will be to use them when your remote control runs out rather than waiting for a time when you really need them. This may seem like a no-brainer, but just to have a completed list… yes, batteries!
A lot of people around here were also going nuts for generators, which is a gas powered machine that provides temporary electrical power. Stores around our area were selling out of generators and news channels were reminding people that these devices can only be used outside as the fumes build up and produce a gas that includes carbon monoxide. Generators are also on the pricey side coming in around (or over) $100.00; they are based on wattage and if you are interested in getting one it’s best to discuss the different options with a professional (don’t guess on what you need). These are also intended for use based on hours…not days…highlighting that ever-so important word: temporary. They are helpful in certain circumstances and if used properly they are beneficial in a prolonged power outage…but if you don’t aren’t sold on having a generator around your house, it’s absolutely possible to get on just fine without power for a few days. It’s boring, and your food may spoil…but it is possible!
If you live in Columbus, OH and are reading this then I hope that your time without power wasn’t really all too bad– I actually got work off for the power outage! If you are living in an area, such as Texas, that is still without power and have somehow acquired internet access to read this…I hope that your power comes back soon and that there was very little damage done to your area, and of course that you are okay! Even though the incident in Ohio was rare and caught all of us totally off-guard, the majority of people still understood that our experience was nothing compared to that of those that were greatly affected by Hurricane Ike.
Living in an area that is prone to natural disasters is definitely a reason to have a Home Safety Kit around your house and to restock it at all times, but even if you are living in an area that doesn’t see a lot of crazy weather I would still maintain that it’s a good idea to have a Home Safety Kit. Power outages can happen everywhere, well…unless you live in an area that doesn’t have power, but then I’d assume you aren’t reading this so my kit idea no longer pertains to you! I also want to point out that this is the very basics for a Home Safety Kit and you can add to it to ensure your safety in different weather conditions.
I hope that everyone is doing well and that you are enjoying the beginnings of fall! I have a lot of ideas conjured up for future blogs so keep checking back and if you come across anything interesting, share it with me!
Here’s to being safe and preparing for different situations well in advance…making you look like one organized individual, which is always a good thing!
-M.
That was a bad few days for us in Ohio.(Ohio/Pa line Youngstown Area here). We lost power for a few days also. I’m still cutting up trees in my yard.
Good post Morgan