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Eight categories, each tied to a real outage job. Buy what you're missing, borrow what you'll rarely use, and skip the rest. Every product links to Amazon so you can check the current price and reviews.
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A power bank that can charge a phone several times. A battery power station is the apartment-realistic option when someone relies on powered medical devices or needs to work.
Runs a router, laptop, or light for days, and a CPAP for a few nights depending on its settings. Check your device's wattage first, and top it up every few months. Anker states SGS certification to UL 1012/1778/1973.
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Charges a phone several times over. Keep it topped up on your desk so it's full when you need it.
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View on AmazonFlashlights, headlamps, and lanterns, with spare batteries in the right sizes. Light the room you're in.
One bright lantern for the kitchen table. Charge it when you charge your phone.
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Hands-free light for cooking, reading, or the stairs. Keep one per adult with spare AAA batteries.
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View on AmazonA battery or hand-crank radio with AM, FM, and NOAA weather bands, for news that doesn't need Wi-Fi.
AM/FM news and NOAA weather when phones and internet are down. Runs on a hand crank, the sun, or batteries.
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Sits on a shelf and sounds an alert for weather and emergencies in your county. It receives NOAA only, with no AM/FM.
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View on AmazonContainers so you aren't buying bottled water with scarce cash. Date them and store them somewhere cool and dark.
A 5-gallon BPA-free jug for stored tap water. That's about five days for one person at FEMA's one gallon a day. Fill it, date it, and keep it somewhere cool and dark. It weighs about 42 lb when full, and the spigot is sold separately.
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When a long outage is forecast, fill it in the bathtub for up to 100 gallons of stored tap water, then hand-pump it out as you need it. Pair it with stored jugs for outages that arrive without warning.
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View on AmazonA cash envelope or small lockbox, and a waterproof pouch for IDs, card copies, and printed contacts.
One fire-resistant box (UL Classified 30 minutes) for passports, insurance papers, and your cash envelope.
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Keeps small bills and coins sorted for days when card readers are down. It's a steel cash box, not fire-resistant.
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View on AmazonA manual can opener and simple no-cook food your household already eats.
Canned food only helps if you can open it without power. This is a sturdy manual opener with a soft, easy-grip handle.
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A simple steel opener to keep in the pantry next to the canned goods.
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View on AmazonA basic first-aid kit and supplies you already use. Medications stay between you and your clinician.
Covers everyday cuts, scrapes, and minor burns. Check it when you change your smoke-alarm batteries.
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A hard-case kit of name-brand basics for the hall closet or the car. Check the expiry dates on the medicines inside once a year.
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View on AmazonA power outage often means candles, camp stoves, and generators, and all of them add fire or carbon monoxide risk. A working CO alarm near every sleeping area is the one safety item we'd put first.
A carbon monoxide alarm for near the bedrooms. First Alert lists it to UL 2034. It runs on a sealed 10-year battery, so there are no batteries to swap. Press test once a month, and replace the whole alarm when it signals end of life.
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