Emergency Preparedness: Back Up Lighting

Weather forecast for tonight:  dark. 

~George Carlin

On this blog, we plan for emergencies.  We've talked about food and water storage and also plans to stay warm in a power outage.  Now we are going to review having a back up lighting plan. 

Stop and consider how long it is dark on these February nights.  Around here it gets dark enough to need a light on in the house around 6:00 pm and in the morning, the lights are on until after 7:00 am. That's eleven hours of darkness. 

If you lost power today, how would you spend those eleven hours?  Probably around eight would be spent sleeping but, without a doubt, you would want some source of light to get through the emergency. 

What is your plan? Power outages in winter storms can often last a week or more.  Let's plan accordingly for a longer-term solution.   

Candles are an obvious choice but there are at least two drawbacks.  The first is that the open flame is dangerous.  The second is that it is difficult to read by candlelight.  Have you ever tried it?  When you are accustomed to reading by electric light, candlelight reading seems dim and the flickering of the light distracting - at least it is for me. 

Kerosene lanterns are another option but still have the fire hazard and the drawback of the smell which I intensely dislike.  

My very favorite solution is to use solar lights, flashlights and headlamps.  The headlamp may look silly but is really useful as a hands-free option for reading and walking around in the dark.  Have some on hand and store them in a sunny spot and you will have night-time light whenever you need it. 

In fact, why not go ahead and replace some of your regular lights with solar versions before a power outage and save money on your electric bill month after month?  There are many tutorials out on Pinterest for solar lights.  Get out there are learn to build your own to increase your emergency preparedness.  

Your level of preparedness can make the difference between a disaster that tears your family apart or an event that is fondly remembered as a great family time together. Which would you rather experience?

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit today.  Tomorrow's post will be a review of the February GREENBOX from Homegrown Collective - it has a great collection of ideas for DIY Shampoo.  I hope to see you then!

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

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