Prepare Now

Stock Up On Survival Gadgets

There are a handful of key gadgets that every family should have on hand to ease the burden of an extended utilities outage. Any of the following missing from your current stockpile can be found at your local camping goods or home-improvement store. Or just click on the highlighted items to order online.

  • Water filter
    A great backup to a bottled water supply. Will remove toxins and bacteria in the event your tap water is contaminated or you have to rely on external sources like rain or stream water.
  • Gas Grill
    The outdoor portable propane-powered grill is to the average disaster-stranded suburban family what the campfire was to the cowboy. If you don't have a portable propane grill, it's time to get one. (Remember: Always keep at least one full tank of propane in reserve as a disaster spare.
  • Metal Coffee Pot
    Caffeine withdrawal can be unpleasant, with symptoms mimicking the flu. Invest in a metal coffee pot that can withstand the extreme temperatures of a grill.
  • Portable Heater
    Most home furnaces today have electric starters and fans, so a cold-weather storm that's bad enough to knock out power lines can also knock out heat.
  • Kids Entertainment Devices
    Buy yourself some much needed peace with some portable GameBoys or their equivalent.
  • Battery-operated Lights
    It's amazing how many otherwise tech-savvy people rely on a flimsy, decades-old, plastic flashlight. Spend the money for a powerful flashlight that can withstand hours of use and abuse during an emergency. You'll also want to pick up a couple of battery-powered headlamps, so you don't have to juggle a flashlight while you're trying to grill dinner. Also, stock up on some battery-operated LED hurricane lamps for ambient lighting to read and cook by.
  • Batteries
    Even LED lights need to have their batteries replaced occasionally. Count on at least three refills of batteries per battery-operated gadget. Be sure to double-check which kind (D, C, AA, etc.) goes in each. And remember to replace all the batteries in your disaster supplies once a year before they lose their juice.
  • Weather Radio
    A staple throughout “Tornado Alley,” this lifesaver is a great addition to any household in the possible path of severe weather. You keep it on 24 hours a day, and normally it remains silent, but the instant the National Weather Service issues a warning the radio emits a piercing beeping sound. With a premium membership at yoursurvival.com, you'll soon be able to get a similar service — which also alerts you to hurricanes and other severe storms — sent directly to your computer, cell phone, and wireless PDA. In the meantime, pick up a NOAA radio. (For about $50 it will come with built-in AM/FM frequencies that will also let you check off the transistor radio box in “Devise Communications Plan.”) Look for a brand with “S.A.M.E.” technology, which enables you to focus the alert on your immediate vicinity. It'll cut down on annoying false alarms.