So I apologize if this is in the wrong forum/category, but as a person that lives and works in a hurricane and tsunami zone I want to get the opinion of those who have gone through Hurricane Sandy to chime-in especially from a lighting standpoint. I have my stock of EDC flashlights, lanterns, throwers, rechargeable batteries, primaries, and emergency candles. But since quite a few people have/had been without power for days or even weeks, what lighting strategies have you learned from Hurricane Sandy?
Honestly, if a superstorm came barreling through where I live I might just go through the night with emergency candles or battery powered lanterns and use my throwers if I need to search for anything/anyone outside.
Just my two cents, I would really like to hear everyone else’s “game plan”
I’m in a cyclone and Tsunami zone. (Saw the 2004 tsunami from my balcony. Helped cleanup Brisbane after the floods. Went through Mission Beach after cyclone Yasi)
Cyclones are rare but very destructive.
More common are summer hailstorms which can damage roofs in a localised area.
Game plan this summer is, grab credit card, toothbrush, XinTD C8 and TN31 and evacuate.
Also emergency kit.
If my house is still here, my lights will be too. They’ll be useful in cleanup and searching for lost pets etc.
If the house is no longer here, I won’t need lights.
I have tons of 18650s and most houses here have solar power, BBQs, camping and fishing gear.
And some of the guys in my street now have C8s after the last xmas street party
It would be good to have some lights to give away, luckily I may have some surplus.
My plan is the same as with Sandy. Lots of AA lights and batteries for household duty along with a few tail standing 18650 lights with moon mode and useful low for extended room lighting at night. A few 18650 & 26650 throwers and flood monsters along with a few spare cells for outdoor S&R use should they be needed.
Outside of that, water and canned goods along with plenty of ammo for the guns.
In the UK we don’t get the extreme weather that many on this forum will get but lots of places are seemingly getting flooded quite often and power outages are common. I don’t have the solution but I do have a handfull of flashlights available, some amateur radio gear to keep communications going if we lost mobile phone coverage and I’ve got a generator in the shed ready incase I need to run something more juicy.
I keep most of my batteries charged up and ready to roll should I ever need it.
I’ve never actually NEEDED any of my flashlights for emergency use but I’ve usually got some on me or nearby.
Discovery channel started airing predictions of this superstorm several years ago along with the implications for the eastern seaboard. Given the severity of the storm I doubt the damage could have been lessened(maybe if people remember to turn off their utilities when evacuating less of a firestorm?) but if more people had paid attention and listened, maybe more would have evacuated when told or been better prepared to ride it out. Hard to do enough with so many on the edge with little extra and nowhere else to go. Alotta sheep out there.
6 lights + 3-4 dozen 18650s, car adapter for charging, spare knives, rope, 1st aid kit w/ lots of pads, sewing kit, magnifier, spare sox and gloves. Also have extra IDs and a roll of $1 bills.
I’ve lived in storm and earthquake areas. A plan to bugout or hunker down should be thought out. If you have children or elderly get out of the area. If you are hunkering down a 12v AGM with a solar charger really helps. Lots of single cell lights (AA, cr123a, 18650 and 26650), plenty of batteries and a couple of chargers. If your light won’t tailstand then hang it from a lanyard and call it a lamp. Storm or camping candles with lantern would have been nice. Hand sanitizer is now 70% alcohol with a multi tool and a tin can you now have a small stove. Propane camping equipment is a big plus. On firearms .22’s .38’s and .410’s where needed, every rat, snake and one confused gator came wandering through. Dogs were never a problem, a scoop of dog food and you had a new best friend. Blankets, tarps, and rope a very big plus.
As Chris says, we don’t have the issues in the UK, I can’t remember loosing power for more than an hour in our area, one thing I do need to do though is get some more primary driven lights other than my 3d mag, and some AA adaptors for said light.
I mainly prep my vehicles for winter (shovel, blankets, anti freeze check etc) that’s possibly the biggest risk we have regularly. That said, I’d have to have a real issue for the landcruiser to fail to get me home in our snow storms, their what most countries would call a flurry.
Thanks for the replies folks, it really adds perspective. I’ve always been a fan of AA lights and have simplified my collection to AA flashlights with a few 18650 lights in there for good measure. I do like the fact that you can buy a 32 pack of AAs at costco for $10 and be ready for a while.
If I ever got caught in a storm I would use my AAs first and only resort to my 18650/CR123a lights for critical work where I need the power and throw.
Sure thing will do, I’m still in the process of testing it out since I just got it last week. But i’ll throw it up in the reviews section as I formulate my opinion of it.
Well,i actually had loadsa time on my hands a good few days prior to the frankinstorm hitting and watched it develop[had man flu]on tv.I am in the UK,so we dont get that kind of storm[yet].So,what did i learn.I learned that we have become pritty dam good at giving notice of impending disaster.I also learned that we are only human and some need more help than others ,before,during and most definetley sfter.All people.Conclusion,Preperation to a HIGH minimum standard by all in the areas under threat from this type of disaster.Have a must have disater kit.A high minimum of survival gear.Prepare for the worst attitude.
