Practical Preps for Short-Term Emergencies

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MPOWERD solar lights -- all are waterproof and hold up well through the years. The Luci inflatable models float so the colored versions are fun for swimming pools. The inflatable models are useful in that they're compact when not inflated.

I've used these lights for years and just placed a big Christmas gifts order. MPOWERED is currently running a 40% off deal for purchases of $95+. Shipping is free.


The Pro Series is probably all around most useful. Very bright and has a 50 hour run time. Can charge with solar or USB. You can also use the battery in reverse as a backup charger for phones etc.

My favorite is the Lux. It is a soft white light that's great for a reading lamp during power outages. I also leave one on in the bathroom overnight when the power is out. Charges only by solar ...wish they'd add a USB charge option.

A new product is a gooseneck task light called Luci Core that's solar and USB chargable. Just ordered a bunch of these for Christmas gifts since they're $12 with the 40% off deal.

I keep a couple of soft white string lights in the RV for soft night lighting. Charge is solar or USB but solar charging seems much slower than others by this company.

Company also has colored Luci lights that can be set to one color or set to cycle through. My nephew with autism loves to use these in the shower. I also bought him the STEM build-your-own kit for Christmas so he can assemble his own and learn about the various aspects of solar power, battery storage, electrical circuitry.
 
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i have one of those milk crates in my car... a few quarts of oil, funnel, paper towels... partial jug (left-overs) of coolant & windshield cleaner. as snow season approaches, will by a bag of the cheapest kitty litter... cheap clay stuff... for traction if stuck.
 
wcwbf said:
i have one of those milk crates in my car... a few quarts of oil, funnel, paper towels... partial jug (left-overs) of coolant & windshield cleaner. as snow season approaches, will by a bag of the cheapest kitty litter... cheap clay stuff... for traction if stuck.
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I have the same in my car. Despite having membership and full cover with the RAC breakdown services..I have basic tools screwdriver, pliers.. jump leads, tyre inflater..bottled water..anti-freeze-..oil...windscreen wash.... emergency triangle, LED torch , soft Paper roll , and a foil emergency blanket, sunshade and a spare pair of flat slip on trainers... Sounds like a lot but it fills only one box...

In the drivers door I carry a seat belt cutter which also breaks the glass in the case of an emergency...
 
hollydolly said:
I have the same in my car. Despite having membership and full cover with the RAC breakdown services..I have basic tools screwdriver, pliers.. jump leads, tyre inflater..bottled water..anti-freeze-..oil...windscreen wash.... emergency triangle, LED torch , soft Paper roll , and a foil emergency blanket, sunshade and a spare pair of flat slip on trainers... Sounds like a lot but it fills only one box...

In the drivers door I carry a seat belt cutter which also breaks the glass in the case of an emergency...
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I put all of that in my car, except I also used to put in a bag of clay cat litter in case I get stuck in snow. I used it once about 30+ years ago when we had a freak heavy snowstorm in Atlanta. The only time I had a heart attack was when I lifted a 25 lb. bag of cat litter out of my car when I needed it in order to exit our gravel driveway. So I don't take chances any more on lifting something more than 10 lbs. (which my cardiologist limited me to).
 
These rocket stoves which are constructed to burn off smoke from the fire are great for emergencies and camping. Can cook a full meal with a few sticks (or or other organic biomass) since by burning the smoke, the stove utilizes every bit of energy from the wood. It's so nice to cook over wood without getting blasted by smoke!

Since they are so efficient in using small amounts of wood, a lot of people (myself included) use them in place of propane camp stoves. The stove itself is much heavier than a propane camp stove, but you don't have to carry around fuel canisters.There are no restrictions for gathering deadfall wood around here for campfires, but some areas do have restrictions. Some also prohibit fires in other than grills and fire rings provided by the campground so that's something to think about as well.

Since the stoves do not use fossil fuels, there's no disposing of fuel canisters, and very little wood-burning byproducts are released into the atmosphere, they're super environmentally friendly. NGOs give these out in third world areas where wood is scarce sine it uses such a small amount of wood and can use other biomass ...even sun dried animal dung.

There are several brands of this type stove (Stove Tec and EcoZoo pictured below) ...most only have wood loading larger door without the second, smaller bottom damper door. I have a model with two doors--the smaller bottom damper door is for adjusting airflow that reaches the fire which allows for controlling fire size/temperature control.



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hollydolly said:
Fascinating, Annie. I've never seen one of these before, thanks for this...(y)
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Thanks, Hols! We usually have at least one incidence a year of several days to several weeks power outages due to tornadoes, hurricane remnants, ice storms so I've been researching these products for years. That some do double duty for camping is a big plus.
 
Around my house, I keep an extensive bunch of emergency prep's. Maybe some of it would fit your needs.
This is just a short consolidated list. Anyone who has seen my older posts know that I'm a serious prepper. (for natural disasters)

Water, one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation
Life straw. https://lifestraw.com/collections/featured/products/lifestraw-go
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered or solar powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries (L.E.D's are best for longativity) I like the headlamp style light as it free's up my hands.
First Aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Hand operated Can opener for food (if your kit contains canned food) I prefer a P-51
Knife.. Fixed blade or folding

Emergency reference materials such as a first aid book.
Styptic powder to stop bleeding .(label say for pets only, but, works on us too)
Rain gear
Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
Cash or traveler's checks, change
Paper towels
Fire Extinguisher
Tent
Compass
bic style lighter or ferro rod...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...ch-20&linkId=81c3a58d1ca2f9a15bc0ab35c86c05a1
Matches in a waterproof container (small pill bottles work great)
A few cotton balls covered in Vaseline. (again in a small pill bottle,wonderful fire starter)
Signal flare
Paper, pencil
Personal hygiene items including feminine supplies
Disinfectant
Household chlorine bleach
You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to treat water. Use 8 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
Medicine dropper (to measure bleach drops)
Important Family Documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank
account records in a waterproof, portable container

If you're in cold weather places, then, I added these:
A jacket or coat
Long pants
A long sleeve shirt
Sturdy shoes
A hat and gloves
A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
 
Interesting thread.

I'm waiting for, but not holding my breathe on someone inventing a battery powered space heater for a small indoor space. I have scoured the Internet for information for any future sign of such a thing.
I did find they are working on it, but nothing yet.

After a deep freeze and no power in my apartment for two days last February, anything that would generate a small amount of heat indoors safely would be a dream come true.


I like that Lux light @AnnieA !
 
Bonnie said:
Interesting thread.

I'm waiting for, but not holding my breathe on someone inventing a battery powered space heater for a small indoor space. I have scoured the Internet for information for any future sign of such a thing.
I did find they are working on it, but nothing yet.

After a deep freeze and no power in my apartment for two days last February, anything that would generate a small amount of heat indoors safely would be a dream come true.


I like that Lux light @AnnieA !
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https://www.budget101.com/prepared-living/4411-diy-flower-pot-heater/
 
@Becky1951, thanks. I've heard of a tea candle set up like that before... don't know if I would trust myself with it though -- me, and a bouncing dog around.
During our black-out, my next door apt. neighbor used a tea candle arrangement to boil water for coffee. As I remember, management found out about it, and they weren't too happy.
 
@Bonnie I keep a few Hot Hands chemical hand warmers in my car and RV in the winter. You can get battery operated hand warmers as well.

Also, if you know there's going to be an extended power outage in cold weather, setting up one small room for you and the dog can help trap your body heat. Cover windows and even interior doors. Some people keep tents on hand for cold weather power outages as their primary 'room' to trap even more heat.
 
AnnieA said:
@Bonnie I keep a few Hot Hands chemical hand warmers in my car and RV in the winter. You can get battery operated hand warmers as well.

Also, if you know there's going to be an extended power outage in cold weather, setting up one small room for you and the dog can help trap your body heat. Cover windows and even interior doors. Some people keep tents on hand for cold weather power outages as their primary 'room' to trap even more heat.
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..and always have extra high tog duvets and fleece blankets in store....
 
I was stuck sideways on a narrow gravel road once, WAY, WAY, up on a mountain.
The rear end was hanging over the cliff.
There was a town down below the mountain.
DUCT TAPE saved my life and my Forerunner!
I spelled out "HELP" in duct tape, so they could see it from below .
I didn't trust myself to get out of this.
But, a young man with binoculars drove up there and helped me!
I always carry duct tape now! (I've done some pretty dumb things!)
 
Bonnie said:
@Becky1951, thanks. I've heard of a tea candle set up like that before... don't know if I would trust myself with it though -- me, and a bouncing dog around.
During our black-out, my next door apt. neighbor used a tea candle arrangement to boil water for coffee. As I remember, management found out about it, and they weren't too happy.
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You could buy a wire type cage and set it up inside of it for safety against being knocked around. Better then freezing.
 
Becky1951 said:
You could buy a wire type cage and set it up inside of it for safety against being knocked around. Better then freezing.
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It was a brutal two days! .... weird thing, everything was iced over including the stairs (I'm on the 3rd floor) and so going down to my car was out of the question.
IF I could have gotten to my car and turned on the heater, that would have made a big difference.
 
Bonnie said:
@Becky1951, thanks. I've heard of a tea candle set up like that before... don't know if I would trust myself with it though -- me, and a bouncing dog around.
During our black-out, my next door apt. neighbor used a tea candle arrangement to boil water for coffee. As I remember, management found out about it, and they weren't too happy.
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Sterno (the catering chafing dish stuff) is safe indoors and would heat food or water a lot faster than a candle so you'd have less time to worry about a flame. You can get little folding backpaking stoves to set the Sterno can in for stability.

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Thanks Annie and Becky ... before it gets to a point of needing any of this stuff, I think I should get an emergency plan in place.
AnnieA said:
Sterno (the catering chafing dish stuff) is safe indoors and would heat a lot faster than a candle so you'd have less time to worry about a flame. You can get little folding backpaking stoves to set the Sterno can in for stability.

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Sterno ... forgot about that stuff! Tomorrow I might check that out.
 
AnnieA said:
Wow, @squatting dog. Now that's a list! I don't like the often recommended gallon of water a day. If it's at all possible, do more ...realize you probably do.
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Me either. when it comes to water, you can't have enough. I keep a fairly large supply on hand. I haven't even scratched the surface with that small list. For instance, I keep his and hers protection handy. (with a bit of extra protection) (y) (y) and then there's my magazine collection. (for light reading) ;)
and on and on. :) Some may say I've gone overboard, but, that's alright with me for nobody knows what the future holds.


water.JPG his and hers.JPG exra plates.JPG mags.JPG
 

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