Hurricane Season Preparations

As a variation on the BOB question as hurricane season approaches I've been thinking a lot about my preparations here in central North Carolina, including of course lighting! This scenario for me is less likely to produce a bug out situation as we aren't likely to flood or have catastrophic damage but can have lots of trees down, some wind damange and the related power outages, often for several days.

The first storms are moving through this week and although we're not expecting really bad weather it will rain and blow some which means it's time to start getting ready. Likely scenario is some storm and wind damage with power outage - my family consists of me, my wife, my 2.5 year old son and two black labs.

As I've been topping off the NiMH AAs and the Strion it has occurred to me that I don't have a really good long runtime light other than my Infinity Ultra (which according to Roys runtime plots is still around 11 hours) and no real usable "flood" type light. So while I have the Strion, Arc4, Arc LSHP with both 1x123 and 2xAA pack, MiniMag with MMLite LuxIII, Infinity Ultra and Arc AAA (red and white) along with some various minimag and 2d/3d mags.

So while I'll have plenty of bright light and some decent runtime with the Infinity Ultra - anyone suggest a reasonably priced lantern of some sort with decent runtime? Any other lighting gaps?

I'm also getting the generator checked out and starting to store up some non-perishable food along with propane for the grill and of course, lots of water!

If you're sitting tight at home, I suggest two things:

- Get a fluorescent lantern. I'm sure there are better choices than what I got -- I just went to the store and picked up a Coleman, along with a couple of cheap 1-tube fluorescents from the local drugstore (they run on 1 or 2 AAs, I think. I have enough batteries to run them all. Especially if you have kids, it's nice to always have one main room reasonably brightly lit. I would love to see specific runtime and brightness review on some lanterns.

Of course, if you have kids, another option is a pack of lightsticks. I won't carry them in my car bag because the heat messes with them. But at home, not only can a couple light up a room pretty good, but the kids love them. (as you can see, keeping the kids occupied is high in my thoughts /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

- Get a headlamp! You'll need both hands free to cook, you'll want both hands free to rummage through cabinets and toolchests, etc. Many of us are very happy with the PT Aurora, which is small and light, runs on 3xAAA, and has variable output settings so you can conserve power when more brightness isn't required.

Here on the Texas coast, I've got all the above, plus, I have several of the common hardware store clamp-on relectors. They're for 110v bulbs with 6 or 8ft cords. Generally cost $3 or $4. Refit them with 12v bulbs and either replace the male wall plug with battery clamps or make a pigtail with clamps and a regular female line plug so you can use an extension cord. They're portable, cheap and effective. I run them off regular 12v automotive type batteries.

I have a Rayovac 4D Lantern (9w U-tube) with remote. I have used it as a campsite light and made it thru 4 nights of use on one set of batteries. The packaging claimed about 24 hours of runtime on low.

I recently picked up a Coleman Northstar 8D lantern (13w tube) on closeout at target, could not resist for $18. It looks promising as an emergeny lantern but is a bit large and heavy compared to the various 4D lanterns. Claimed runtime on low setting is around 50 hours.

Brightguy also sells an inexpensive 4D BrightStar brand lantern (7W tube).

If you go flourescent make sure the tubes are standard size and replaceable.

This months consumer reports had a one pager on emergency preparedness CSReport
I found the link to the Homeland Defense checklists interesting reading.

Hi - based on the blackout in NYC last year, I'd recommend you have several lanterns. Also, with a toddler and dogs, you'll probably have some more peace of mind if they're battery-operated instead of ones with a flame.
These are the lanterns I've settled on so far:

Steelbeam lantern
I just used this link to get a picture of the lantern. It's $15 at the Costco near us - these blue ones (which I have) seem to have been replaced by a modified case that's red, but with the same basic stats. 4 D batteries, it's got a decent light output and comes at a good price.

12-LED lantern
I like this lantern best - 4 D batteries, and stated battery life of 40 hours at highest brightness, plus it's fully dimmable.
Guide Gear 12-LED lantern
Like the mini-me version of the Nuwai, these use 4AA batteries each and have three brightness settings. Pretty decent output still, and I got the three-pack for $45, which comes in a hard plastic "briefcase."

The main impression I got from the blackout was that, once you're settled at home, you want hands-free area lights to hang out. These lights are more effective if you can hang them above whatever they're lighting, as opposed to sitting on the surface you want to light. One thing I like about having multiple lanterns is the ability to have them in a couple/several rooms and/or use a couple or several in one room, as needed.
Good luck getting prepared.
Dave

A follow-up to my 12v light post -- I have a couple of flourescent lamps that have 12v capability and came with auto cigarette lighter plugs. These work just fine on the auto battery setup. They run cool and would probably last for weeks on one fully charged battery.

[ QUOTE ]
BIGIRON said:
A follow-up to my 12v light post -- I have a couple of flourescent lamps that have 12v capability and came with auto cigarette lighter plugs. These work just fine on the auto battery setup. They run cool and would probably last for weeks on one fully charged battery.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool, I had not thought of that? I think I will be building a custom cable for my Northstar 8D this weekend. This thing is to big for camping, useless you park next to the campsite, but sure can light up a room. Thanks for the info.

PS:
I also saw a Kmart branded lantern (8D) that came with a 12v plug awhile back (before our Kmart closed). It was an interesting setup with two 9w U-tubes, high/low settings, nightlight, remote etc for about $20.

If you've got a good old Mag sitting around, you might consider an EverLED. An EverLED and a couple of packs of D batteries can make a Mag last a looooong time.

Electrolumens Anglelux is nice to have around, IMHO
Topper /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I've been using a coleman 4D florescent lantern. It has a yellow night light, low and high with a remote. $20-25. It's worked well for camping and a few power outages. It'll run a couple of nights on high, a few on low or night light. It's fairly weather resistant, it survived a late season snow storm, outside on the table. It was exposed to a few short term down pours with no problem. Actually taking it out in a huricane where the rains blowing sideways at 50-60 knots, I don't think I'd trust it that far. For in house during power outages it's been great.

You won't need a super bright lantern in every room. The single D battery yard lights at Target are handy. They are useful for getting the last out of your almost dead D batteries and you get 3 for $20.

How about using a computer UPS for lighting? Chances are the cable will go out so you might not be web surfing.

I'd get a NiMH charger with 12 volt input (maybe the Ray-o-vac 15 minute system) and a bunch of cells. That lets you recharge batteries whenever you need, off your car's battery with the key in the "acc" position. Run the car engine for a few minutes now and then to keep the car battery fully charged.

If you want to spend more and be even better equipped, get a gas powered generator to use at home. There's been various threads about good models. That will let you run ordinary household lamps (fluorescents are good) instead of having to mess with lanterns. It also can keep your fridge running so your food won't spoil, etc.

Paulr - I've already got a small generator (freebie from my brother in law who came into 2 little coleman units) which is sufficient to power the refrigerator and maybe 1 or 2 other appliances. I've used it in the past and managed to let it run for one tank of gas (around 7 hours) in the late afternoon/evening.

A leftover from my days in Eastern NC and a few hurricanes hitting dead on.

Which of course begs the question of if I can run a lamp off the generator why do I care? But I don't and can't really keep it running 24/7 and it is small enough that it can't run more than really one light along with the fridge so some other ambient light is required/helpful.

paulr's comment about chargers -- the 12v booster/jump start devices have 12vdc outlets. Most have 15 or 20 amp sealed batterys. They'll recharge from your 110 generator. No big mess carrying an auto battery around, etc, etc. They're available just about everywhere.

Having been through 3, I make sure I have a few lanterns and a couple handhelds.
God knows I love my surefires, but with the battery times being what they are, in times of emergency (Especially after Andrew where there were no batteries available- even from Red Cross- for 2 weeks), i'd take a $9 AA Minimag over a $100 Surefire every time.

Excellent suggestions above. A key point is to have a combination of lighting options such that you don't get caught if one malfunctions, e.g. generator quits, kids rob all the D cells and don't tell you until it is too late.
Consider also having one or more power inverters to run chargers, TV (comfort item for kids) etc... OK to run it from your vehicle (engine running for short periods of course) and an extension cord snaking into the house.

My wife has a bag of 100 tea candles. We will light a few and put them in different rooms for some back-up lighting. I don't know how practical that is with a 2.5 year old, but just another idea to throw out.
I usually light 3 or 4 and leave them sitting in the bathtub for the main bathroom. They will burn for a few hours easy. That might not work if the tub is filled up with water, but there are plenty of places where a tea candle will sit without being near anything flammable.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif



Blades

There are big candles in glass jars that will burn 4-5 days nonstop, that are around $1.39 each around here. If you're not bothered by candles, I'd say keep a few of those around. I'd think in a headache (BOB) situation though, multiple sources of open flame are just potential trouble. I wouldn't want a lit candle unless it was right where I was keeping an eye on it.

You can make a cheap, very long running LED candle with three D cells, an LED or two, and a resistor, btw.

I tried to prepare for this season by ordering some 123 cells from SureFire, but they never sent them to me and I had to cancel my order after a solid month of waiting with no information as to the delay. They assured me that they were shipped, but they never did...there went the prep, eh?* Since my Inova X0 has the original set of cells still in it, I've stopped using it to conserve their power and am relying more heavily on AAA lights (like the Dorcy 1-cell AAA) because I was able to snap up about 3 dozen cells on clearance at Best Buy.

I'd recommend that each member of the household have a small, personal light like a Dorcy AAA and maybe a headlamp like the Energizer one. There needs to be at least one hi-output lamp (like a spotlight or D-cell maglight) and I'd recommend a Rebel 1-LED light with a sheet of Kleenex on it as an ambient room light. If you have a maglight or a high-end Luxeon light, it's probably waterproof/resistant and you can use that if the hurricane blows a cow onto your roof at night. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif As for batteries, you can't beat 123's from an online dealer...well...mostly, and I stock flashlights in battery sizes that I also tend to hoard. I use AAA's in my Japanese electronic dictionary, my mp3 player and some other things, so I have lots of them around. I keep D cells on hand just for the maglight and the spotlight has its own battery.

Just a tyro's opinion. (^_^)



*This might sound like a jeer, but I just put it in here because it was relevant to my preparation for hurricane season. It's not a big enough deal to post a Jeer thread about it and I'm sure that Surefire just goofed. Easily forgivable. Please let me know if I am wrong on this. I am new here.

I've been happy with these; they have replaced all my Coleman 8-D lanterns for emergency area lighting. Bright, 35-40 hrs on one tube (still pretty bright), remarkably compact because of folding design and reasonably priced. One of them provided excellent light in my apt bldg lobby during the most recent blackout. After having been in a 14th floor fire years ago I no longer use candles and wish that others wouldn't.

ENERGIZER FOLDING FLUORESCENT LANTERN



Brightnorm