The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is reverberating across my hometown and I expect it will for a while. The news is still on almost 24/7 and there are still areas without power, water, heat and compounding that, others have lost their homes, their lives and loved ones. As a New Yorker, it’s incredibly eerie and reminiscent of the events of 9/11 and to some extent, the Blackout of 2003 when we were glued to not only the news but the ticker-tape text augmenting the audio/visual on the screen–as if there just was just too much information to consume no single person could actually digest it all.

A few things became very clear to me as I started to prepare for this hurricane/cyclone/nor’easter — 1) despite having lots of wireless gadgets, I am incredibly dependent on wires and electricity, 2) other than having a fire-extinguisher and a couple flashlights, we aren’t prepared for a real-oh-my-God-this-is-it emergency, 3) another power supply or generator might not be a bad idea. 4) life is really short–live your bliss and pursue your dreams today (more on that another time). Here are some ideas that are meant to cover numbers 1 – 3, and do let me know if you have a generator… I’m going to start doing some more research.

Portable Power Supply ($239.99, Brookstone)

iGo Universal Battery Powered Universal Charger ($10.24, Walmart)

ReVIVE Series Solar ReStore External Battery Pack with Universal USB Charging Port for Portable E-readers , MP3 Players , Smartphones & More USB Powered Devices ($List Price 49.99, Amazon)

Ambient Weather WR-111A Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Digital Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger with NOAA Certified Weather Alert & Cables (List Price $80.00, Amazon)

Emergency Hand-crank Power Radio ($79.99, Sharper Image)

10-Pack LED Flashlight & Headlamp Combo pack ($15.88, Home Depot)

SentrySafe Fire and Waterproof Chest Safe ($48.87, Home Depot)

Prepackaged Kits:

Medics First Aid – ($74.99, BePrepared.com) – If you (or someone you love) doesn’t have a first aid kit in their home yet, fix that ASAP! The supplies in this kit are of the quality as those used by Paramedics and Emergency Technicians.

3-Day Emergency Kit ($44.99, BePrepared.com) – This compact emergency kit has basic items for three days aiding in the necessities–shelter, water, food, first aid, warmth, light, communication and more.

Auto Emergency Kit ($38.99, BePrepared.com) – This kit includes supplies for food, water, shelter, heat, light, first aid, auto buddy, batteries and jumper cables.
See all kits from Be Prepared.

Submitted by reader Anne G from Massachusetts: MSR SweetWater Water Purifier System ($99.95, REI.com). She also suggested foil blankets, here is a place to get those and emergency sleeping bags. Thanks for the suggestion, Anne!

And while I have your attention, please consider donating to the Red Cross if you are able (no donation is too small), or participating in one of their blood drives.

Related Links:
Giving Back: Hurricane Sandy
I Love New York: Gifts For My City
Gifts That Encourage Courage
What to Give and Get: iPhone 5 Cases
All Posts tagged Christmas, Chanukah and Holiday

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