American Red Cross solar-powered, self-powered AM/FM/weatherband portable radio with flashlight and cell phone charger. Available from Amazon for $32.99. By Eton Corporation.
Imagine what this could do for people in Haiti. ISPs and cell carriers are still operational. Twitter and texting are the short-wave radio of our time, getting vital information out when few other sources can. But you can’t text friends on the mainland from Haiti that you just pulled grandpa out of the wreckage alive if the power is out in your area, landline phones are down, and your cell phone battery is dead. However, with hand-crank technology, now you can. It’s way old-school. And utterly reliable.
It has AM/FM/Weather bands and can be powered by solar or hand-cranking (as well as AC and batteries.) It also has a flashlight and you can recharge cell phones via a USB port.
Eton has useful line of similar products. Check it out.
That’s a pretty cool gadget, and has a place in almost everyone’s 72-hour kit.
I gotta ask– I haven’t seen a lot of posts on preparedness here. Given the financial meltdown we narrowly avoided, the pandemic that, while not as dangerous as originally reported, nonetheless highlighted our government’s hopelessly inept response, and the other potentials for both national and localized disruptions, I wonder: what does your preparedness look like? I mean, aside from identifying a place in a nearby rural state that’ll take you in if you can get there? 🙂
Pls reserve the stall next to the goats for Sue and I, should things get really crazy. 🙂