Tech and a Storm Event Part 1: Lighting--What Worked and What Didn't

Building an Emergency Kit for a Storm Event:
What to Include, and What to Ditch,
Part I

Winners and Losers for Surviving the Storm and What Follows

As some of you know, Techlaurels is physically based on the Florida Gulf Coast.  I live on a barrier island that is 7 miles long, and a mile and a half at its widest.  Originally, Irma was supposed to go up the East Coast, and my part of Florida was supposed to be out of Irma's path.  Even when a precautionary voluntary evacuation was put in place, few of us did much to prepare, other than charging up our electronics and filling a few jugs with water.  The data did not support our area being hit with anything we couldn't handle. We'd need to shelter in place for a day or two, and that was all.

Then Irma changed paths, literally overnight. We awoke to the news that Irma was now projected to make landfall on the West Coast.  We'd been upgraded to a mandatory evacuation, and few of us had done much to prepare.  And now, there were neither available supplies nor sufficient time to do what we needed.  Gas was extremely hard to come by, shelf stable food was unavailable, and there was no bottled water to be had.  The Chief of Police ordered all businesses closed at 2 pm, and we needed to be off the Island before 6, when all bridges would be closed to oncoming traffic. Most of the shelters had already filled, and the interstates were already parking lots. We needed somewhere to run, and choices were few given the circumstances.  However, the rule of thumb is to shelter from wind and run from water, and we were now facing a potential 15 foot storm surge, something that would obliterate our little Island. A five foot surge would be enough to take out a lot of buildings; 11 feet would be enough to destroy us.  It was too late to escape Irma's path all together, so the best alternative was to find an available hotel room somewhere South of Alabama.

We found a room at the Stuart Courtyard, a hotel on Florida's East Coast that was new and built to withstand a Cat 5 storm. It was on high enough ground a surge would not threaten it. When we arrived, we had approximately 18 hours before Irma was supposed to hit that part of Florida, and the feeder bands had already arrived.  We kept utilities at the hotel for approximately 14 hours.  After that, there were no elevators, hotel phones, internet, hot water, lights, or power. That meant no food or beverage service, not even vending machines. And we still had at least 2-3 full days that we needed to shelter in place.

On the second day, Irma again changed her path, and I was looking at not having a home to which I could return.  At the last minute, Irma changed her path once more, and thankfully, that meant the storm surge alert was called off. However, my home was not completely spared from Irma's wrath. We had 92 mph winds and inches of pounding rain. We had huge trees down all over the place, loads of damage from wind-borne objects, shingles littering the neighborhood along with other various debris, and our utilities had been completely wiped out. The Police were running on generators, and the cell phone tower's backup supplies were running low.  If you could get a single bar, your communications were limited to texting. Every time you tried to use a data connection, you'd be promptly cut off. They managed to restore water before they reopened the Island, but it would not be safe for drinking until power was restored, and with only electric stoves on the Island, we had no way to boil it.

Because it was a good five days before most businesses had power restored, and the restaurants and stores had lost their refrigerated and frozen supplies too, there was a food shortage on the Island. It would be days before the delivery trucks made it out.  Restaurants tried to reopen once power was restored, but menus were limited.  Hoarders snapped up what little food there was quickly, and we were beginning to exhaust what was in the pantry.  You had to drive hours, to more populated areas, to try to get gas, batteries, water, and food that did not require refrigeration.  And officials were asking us to limit non-essential trips, as the roads were clogged with evacuees trying to return, gas was still scarce, and we needed the supply trucks and utility workers to be able to get through.  Any place that had supplies had long lines. I joked that  every place open looked like a 1980s era Russia, and they were giving away plush, three-ply toilet paper.  We had a good two weeks of third-world like conditions.  But we all managed to make it through.  And during this trying time, I learned a lot about what worked and what didn't.

We are still cleaning up and Florida is still recovering. It was only on the 22nd that they finished restoring power to everyone who was out in my County.  Most cable was only restored late last week, and there are still areas suffering outages.  Most tech requires power and internet to function, and as such, is pretty useless during an extended utility outage.  We have all been spoiled by tech, and we don't know what to do when that tech is unavailable.

Today, I'm going to talk about what worked for me and what did not during this extended "storm event." As much as I love technology, there are times we all need to live without it.  And there are ways to make what tech we depend on work better for us during challenging times.  We will return to our Alexa series after this one on Surviving the Storm.

Because we are still getting back to normal and time is tight, I have broken this article up into three parts. Today, we'll talk about lighting, one of the most important parts of an Emergency Kit. Future posts will discuss communications, power accessories and entertainment, and food, water,  and provisions, as well as what one should include and what one can skip when putting together an emergency kit.  You'll find that this is a time when sometimes the low-tech solutions are best.

What Worked Well and Not So Well: Lighting

Battery-Powered Lanterns: Win

This is the ONE thing I wished I'd had more of during Irma.  I bought a couple of these small, led, battery-powered lanterns on sale a couple of years ago.  I have been using one in my pantry as a light, and the other lives under my bed.  These lanterns are nice, as they illuminate a much wider area than a flashlight, can hang or be carried easily, and with a couple of them, they provide enough light for reading or daily ablutions. They also take AA batteries, something most of us usually keep on hand.  And despite the fact these lanterns and their batteries were not new, they lasted the six powerless days without needing a new set of batteries. 

I cannot emphasize the utility of this type of lantern enough. A long lasting, compact but powerful, light and easy to carry lantern is an essential part of your Emergency Kit. In fact, your kit should include several.  This exact model has been discontinued, but a newer model with the same features is available at Amazon, Target, and a lot of hardware stores and discounters. There are also a plethora of similar lanterns available at the same retailers.  Energizer makes a similar one that can run on AA or D batteries.  The important thing is to buy lanterns that are bright while still being compact.

These are the features I suggest you look for in an emergency lantern:

• LED light technology, for brightness with less power draw;
• Hangs easily or sits flat;
• Rounded handle with flat top, for ease of carrying while carrying something else or with a "wet grip";
• Runs a long time with no battery changes. (Most lamps will give you an "hours rating");
• Uses common batteries, ones you're likely to have on hand;
• Lightweight, for ease of carrying and packing;
• Compact, for ease of stashing in an emergency kit;
• Clear, visible/tactile on/off control.

I recommend your Emergency Kit include a minimum of 2 lanterns per adult and 1-2 per child.

Headlamps: Win

Headlamps are worn on the head, like a headband, and they sit on the forehead like a cyclops eye.  Again, headlamps provide a hands free lighting solution, which can be great during any type of storm event.

Headlamps also come in all shapes and sizes, and they can be purchased many places. (I have linked to two nice ones at Amazon.)  They are nice to wear when reading or when trying to assess damages. Headlamps provide a focused beam of light. They are not as good at lighting an area.  Headlamps are especially nice when used in conjunction with a lantern.  The headlamp can be pointed to illuminate the task at hand, while the lantern provides light for a wider "area."   You can also strap the headlight to a large bottle to create a lantern in a pinch.

I recommend looking for a headlamp with the following features:

• Uses AAA Batteries, rather than harder-to-find "cell" type batteries, (also referred to as hearing aid batteries.) AAAs keep the lamp lighter on your head, and again, you're likely to have some around for remotes;
• Adjustable strap, to ensure a good fit on your head;
• Adjustable angle light, so you can point the light up, down, or straight, depending on your activity, rather than needing to crane your neck;
• Long life. Again, you can buy headlamps that run for a few hours or for a few days.  Batteries can be hard to come by during emergencies, so you want a lamp that will run longer with fewer changes;
• LED technology, for brighter lights with less weight. 

Now that Headlamps have become so ubiquitous, you can find many extremely cheap models. Some Dollar Stores actually carry them now. Avoid these cheapies. You'll find they don't stay on your head well, their lights are dim, and they do not last very long. You don't need to spend $50 on a fancy headlamp, but the $5 ones are sure to fail you when you most need them.  Spring for at least a mid-grade Headlamp for your Emergency Kit. You probably won't need one per person either.  One or two per kit should suffice.

Glow Sticks: Win

When we lost power at the hotel, they lined the hallways and staircases with Glow Sticks. This gave the appearance of "airplane lighting," but more effective. It made the hallways and staircases bright enough to navigate without having to carry a flashlight. 

Now I'm not talking about the skinny glow sticks you find at the Dollar Store, but rather the thick, extra bright glow sticks that can last for 12-24 hours.  As soon as I was able, I ordered a pack of these to keep in my Emergency Kit. These glow sticks can provide a significant amount of light, especially when used together, and they require no batteries. They last forever before they are "cracked," and so, are an item you can grab without checking to see if they still work. They can be worn around the neck or hung on things as well. However, for emergency purposes, it's best to avoid the "fun colors" and stick to the green ones, which tend to glow the brightest.  They also provide good visibility, should you find yourself in a situation you need to signal rescue workers. 

Glow sticks are one of the lowest tech solutions around, but they also proved to be one of the best. They were especially great on the staircases, with the hotel marking each step with a glow stick, held down with some double-sided tape. They will even glow underwater.  I ordered a dozen to keep in my own Storm Kit.  How many you should order for your own depends on how many people your kit covers. These take up little room and last forever, so I'd consider buying a few 10-12 packs and tossing them in the bottom of your own kit.  (We have linked to various options in the text.)

There are thousands of ideas on Pinterest relating to extending a glow stick's use.  Some involve cracking the sticks open and pouring into tonic, 7-Up, or Mountain Dew, and others involve using glasses and jars to make faux lanterns. You can even put them inside balloons to create make-shift hanging lights.  They are a form of lighting that is safe to use in floodwaters.  And there are now a dozen in my newly restocked Evacuation Kit. 

Rechargeable Lights or Lanterns: Fail with Caveats

I had ordered a set of these "Max lights" from Meh sometime in August, figuring they would make good stocking stuffers, and promptly forgot about it. (Yugster and Amazon both have these lights currently.) They arrived the last day we got deliveries before the storm. Figuring it was a sign, I promptly repurposed them and charged them up.  

These lights were both hits and misses.  The fact they worked as "standing lights" and flashlights was a plus.  However, they were hard to carry, so I used them mostly as room lights, along with my lanterns.  One went in the dark bathroom, where its "motion sensing" function was a boon.  However, these lights were all out of charge by the time I left the hotel. Rechargeable lights are great for a few hours without power, but unfortunately are not a good solution for ongoing powerless days. 

Don't get me wrong; I DO like these lights. However, they are coming out of my emergency kit. Instead, they will be used at home, for their intended purpose: emergency lights during a short power outage.  I currently have one in each of the bathrooms, set to "motion sensor" for lighting those half-asleep trips. I also have one in the living area, to grab should we have an outage. They will be put to good use when I shelter at home, and at the very least, they'll be handy when I need to get my Emergency Kit out of the dark closet.

I was lucky that I was able to get these charged up before I had to flee. But even with judicious use, they did not last the duration of the storm event.  And they take too long to charge back up once completely exhausted. For a one to two day event, these things would have been fine. But I'm taking rechargeable lights OUT of my emergency kit, and I'm replacing them with glow sticks, extra batteries, an extra lantern, and a headlight.  Rechargeable lights are useless when charging is a precious commodity.

Flashlights: Fail

Quite frankly, with so many alternative and cost effective solutions around, flashlights are pretty much obsolete technology when it comes to an Emergency Kit.  There are many drawbacks to flashlights.  First, they take a good grip and are tiring to hold for very long. Next, they take up the entire use of one hand, they are heavy, and they only provide a narrow beam of light. Most flashlights require batteries you don't necessarily keep a lot of on hand, and are bulky to keep extras of. They also draw a lot of power for a relatively low focus of light, and they have a habit of turning themselves on in the bottom of bags, exhausting their power supply. Flashlights are great when you need a small, focused beam of light. They're not so great when you're trying to perform everyday tasks.

Now, you may ask about those manually-powered flashlights. Aren't those essential to an Emergency Kit?  Not in my practiced opinion. I have a variety of those "hand crank" and "squeeze" flashlights, and quite frankly, the only thing those are good for is the few minutes of light you need to find your emergency box, with the GOOD lights in it, something my "Max Lights" already do better.  You need to squeeze them and squeeze them, and still, you only get a few moments of very weak light.   Then you have to waste precious energy by squeezing or cranking again, something that gets old awful quickly.  The storm event is stressful in and of itself; no one needs to crank something furiously in an attempt to get some illumination; let's add the stress of squeezing a flashlight into the whole mix. Take it from me; this is NOT something you need.

The year I moved to Florida, I received A LOT of these suckers as gifts; they were all replaced by the third hurricane.  After using them once or twice, sometimes it took an inordinate amount of cranking to get a paltry glow. Manually or solar powered flashlights just do not work well in a storm situation. They only waste precious space.

Flashlights have their place, but it's not in today's Emergency Kit. There are too many cheaper and better solutions to waste any space with a traditional flashlight. Maybe throw the one you're replacing with more effective technology in your car, but take it out of that Storm Kit.

Candles: Fail

The only thing candles are useful for is trying to heat up some of that canned Queso you're tired of eating cold, using your potpourri burner. Paper matches do not do well in wet and humid environments, and who wants to waste the expensive matches (or precious lighter fluid) on a candle. They do not give off good light, can be hazardous when tipped, and tend to become misshapen when stored in the bottom of a box for several years. A good glow stick is cheaper, safer, and more light efficient than any candle. They can last for years in the bottom of a box, without adverse effects from heat, moisture, and humidity, and they give light for longer than an equivalent sized candle. Use the candles for ambience on a normal night, but get them out of your Emergency Kit. Replace them with 12 hour Emergency Glow Sticks.

 

Hue Lights: Win

No, my Hue Lights did NOT work during the power outage, but I'm still putting them in the "Win" column. My power came back on about 1145 pm. I was sitting by lantern, talking to a friend on my old princess phone that does not require power, when all of the sudden, the Hue Bulbs came on. Having heard horror stories of fires in HVAC units caused by the surge of a power restoration, I had turned off the circuit that controls that unit.  I was alerted to the power restoration by my Hue Lights illuminating.

You may laugh and say to yourself "Who needs Smart Lights coming on to realize their power is back?"  Well, when you've disconnected all your electronics and stashed them in the bathtub, under a mattress, for safe keeping, your lights and refrigerator are about the only things that will alert you to power restoration.  Many people in the neighborhood only realized power was restored when a neighbor told them. My fridge is quiet, and I was on the phone in my bedroom. Were it not for the Hue Lights, I might have hung up the phone, turned out the lantern, and gone to sleep, never realizing I had utilities restored.

You would have thought I'd won the Powerball, I was so ecstatic I had power back.  All the timers were way off, but my Hue Lights resumed their programmed routines beautifully.

 

Smart Lights and Smart Outlets: Did they Survive the Outage?

My Smart Lights and Smart Outlets all survived the extended power outage beautifully.  As mentioned earlier, the Hue Lights all illuminated when power was restored, which was a cause for celebration. Both the WeMo and the TP-Link Smart Outlets came back with power and internet. Neither the smart outlets nor the Hue Lights needed resetting or reprogramming of any kind. I did not need to rerun Discovery when Alexa came back. I wish I could say the same for the Harmony Hub.  Although it maintained the ability to control the TV, I can no longer voice control the other components with Alexa. I barely had time to re-setup the Entertainment System. I have not yet had a chance to look at the Harmony setup. (We have an upcoming chapter discussing the Harmony Hub in our Smart Home Series. We will discuss restoring it after an outage more in that article.)

I have two "generic" smart plugs that arrived just before Irmageddon began. I am anxious to replace my two remaining timer-controlled lights with those outlets.  I wish the timers reset themselves as well as the Smart Outlets! It was nice to have ONE THING I didn't have to worry about resetting or restoring when power returned.  Even my Wake-Up Routine ran exactly as scheduled, despite the fact all the clocks in the house were off!  It's nice to have Smart Devices that retain their memory, even after an extended outage.

Summary

Techlaurels' Blog has returned, after a break necessitated by Hurricane Irma. I had to flee the storm, and I had little time to supplement the items in my Evacuation Kit. I survived the storm, but returned home to third-world like conditions, something I needed to live with for longer than I would have liked. I had to live without all of my modern comforts, and I learned a lot about what types of gadgets I needed to have on hand. I also learned a lot about what just wastes precious space in an Emergency Kit.

We are taking a break from our Smart Home Series to discuss technology and emergency situations.  This week we focused on lighting. We learned that flashlights are outdated technology, and that lanterns, headlights, and glow sticks are much better solutions. We learned that rechargeable lights are useful for short term outages only, and that led, battery operated lights are much better in an extended power outage.  We talked about clearing the flashlights and candles out of our Emergency Boxes, and replacing them with battery powered lanterns and glow sticks instead.

 

What's Next

Again, time is still tight as Florida is still recovering. Because of this, I decided it was better to break this article into parts than make readers wait until I had the time to finish and polish it. This series will continue, discussing what worked well and what worked not so much during an extended Storm Event. We'll go on to examine communications, power accessories, entertainment, food, water, and provisions, and what is and is not worth precious space in an emergency kit. (And we may even throw a giveaway into the mix.)

When we're done discussing Emergency Tech, we'll go back to discussing Smart Homes and Alexa. Stay tuned and follow us on your preferred channel (Facebook, Twitter, RSS, Email, etc.) to be informed of this series' return.  And please continue to give us feedback on what you'd like to see on this blog.  

As we continue discussing Storm Tech, we'd love to hear what worked well for you, and what just wasted valuable space in your own evacuation kit. Hit us up in the comments, on Facebook, on Twitter, via e-mail, or using our contact form. We hope you'll stay with us for part two of this series.