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Organizations Join Together to Help Communities Prepare to “Weather” the Weather
The International Association of Fire Chiefs, Energizer and the
American Meteorological Society Team Up for National Public Education Weather Preparedness ProgramSpring showers may bring beautiful flowers, but often times, severe weather situations can bring more than we are prepared for. As the first day of spring approaches on March 20, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Energizer and the American Meteorological Society (AMS) are working together to help families prepare for whatever weather situations spring, summer and hurricane seasons might bring their way. Storms can lead to power outages and can put families at risk for potentially harmful and serious outcomes. A simple way to prepare for inconvenient and unavoidable power outages is to have an emergency power kit ready before the blackout occurs.
Recognizing a need for citizens across the nation to be prepared with back-up power supplies other than candles, as well as other necessities for use during power outages caused by severe weather, the Energizer Keep Safe. Keep Going® public safety campaign was developed. Through this preparedness initiative, Energizer, the IAFC, the AMS and more than 6,200 fire departments nationwide work together to provide tips for building a complete emergency power kit and ways for families to stay powered and connected. In addition, the organizations work to provide reminders about the importance of resisting the urge to use candles as light sources during power outages.
“We cannot stress enough the importance of using flashlights and lanterns instead of candles during power outages,” said Chief Jeffrey Johnson, EFO, CFO, MIFireE and president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. “Candles cause an average of nearly 15,000 home fires each year, resulting in significant numbers of preventable injuries and deaths. An emergency power kit can literally be a beacon of light in a storm and can help prevent needless home fires caused by candles.”
In an effort to reach even more communities with tips and tools to help them stay safe during varying weather situations, the AMS has joined this year’s effort.
“It is our goal at the AMS to educate and help spread important messages on weather preparedness,” said Keith Seitter, CCM and Executive Director of the American Meteorological Society. “Education is key in helping families be prepared for potential hazardous weather situations and programs like this public education weather safety campaign are easy reminders.”
What to Include in Your Emergency Power Kit
- Battery-powered radio or crank radio, to keep your family apprised of current weather-related news.
- Plenty of extra batteries. Energizer® Ultimate Lithium and Energizer® MAX® batteries (AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt) provide long-lasting power before, during and after the storm. Lithium batteries have a long storage life, perform well in extreme temperatures and are perfect for use in LED flashlights and other high-tech devices, while Energizer® MAX® batteries are an ideal power source for standard flashlights and lanterns.
- Flashlight for every member of the family. Use flashlights instead of candles when the power goes out. Energizer® Weatheready™ lights feature long-lasting LED technology. With versatile flashlights and area lights, the Weatheready™line is designed to keep your family out of the dark.
- Battery-powered cell phone charger, to help keep the lines of communication open. Energizer Energi To Go® power packs help keep cell phones charged.
- Extra specialty batteries. Your health is your most important asset. Specialty batteries power critical health devices like hearing aids and blood glucose and blood pressure monitors.
“An emergency power kit can offer peace of mind to families caught in spring storms,” said Jim Olsen, Vice President of Marketing for Energizer North America. “Through the Energizer Keep Safe. Keep Going® program, we are reminding families to stay prepared for blackouts by preparing their own back-up power kits so they are ready for power outages during whatever type of severe weather situations that may head their way.”
In addition to back-up power, it is important to gather additional emergency supplies such as water and nonperishable food and to be sure to have copies of important documents such as medical records and insurance papers. For a complete list of tips for preparing for storms and important home fire safety tips, visit www.energizer.com/preparedness.
Review Of Emergency Power Kit
When I lose power in my home due to the weather, I’m the type of person who lights candles in every room in the house. I have actually had a neighbor look in my windows before and wonder how I still had power without the use of a generator when everyone else on the street was sitting in darkness. That is how bright my house is from the use of candles. I never put to much thought in the danger of the possibility of burning down my house from a candle. I make sure to place them in secure areas, BUT all it would take is for me to fall asleep and forget to blow one out or have my cat upset it and we could have a serious fire. It’s not smart or safe to use so many candles during an outage.
I’m thankful for the generosity of the Energizer team who sent me a sample Energizer Weather Preparedness Tool Kit. The kit came in a nice bright red bag and included the type of items to think about having ready in case there is severe weather and a power outage.
Battery-operated Radio
Flashlight
Cell Charger
Variety Of Batteries
Wet Wipes
The Pros
Even though all the items are beneficial during an outage, the Energizer Weather Ready Flashlight has to be my favorite out of the kit. It runs on either 2 AAA or 2 AA batteries and also has an integrated alert whistle. The 2 LED lights make the flashlight extremely bright and use less energy, so the batteries last longer. Additionally, there is no filament, no glass, is virtually unbreakable, and very lightweight. The BIG bonus is the Premium Nichia lifetime LED bulb never needs replacing!
It would be good to have enough Energizer Weather Ready Flashlights available in the kit for each family member. My son is only 29 months and can operate this flashlight without a problem.
The Wet Ones and extra variety of batteries are always good items to have on hand.
The Cons
The battery powered radio is a great idea and worked, but I do wonder how it would perform in an actual emergency. I could only get the FM auto-scan receiver to tune into a single station after several attempts. During severe weather I would want to be able to listen to NOAA weather radio broadcasts which provide continuous news of the latest weather information directly from the National Weather Service offices across the country. This is crucial in case the severe weather is wide spread and would help me plan better for how long the outage might be. Unfortunately, NOAA broadcasts are made on one of seven high-band FM frequencies ranging from 162.40 to 162.55 MHz and require a special receiver to pick up. The frequency scope of the battery-operated radio I received in the kit is 87-108 MHZ and would need to be more powerful to give adequate information during a large storm.
Excellent But Not For Me
A disappointment for me was the cell phone charger. The reason being is there was no adapter included to work with my Samsung Smartphone. Other than that it would be an excellent item to have ready to be used during a power outage. It comes already pre-charged, ready to go, and looks easy to use. It can be rechargeable up to 500 times and contains a smart battery life indicator. It works to give your cell phone up to 3 hours of xtra talk, 18 hours xtra music on your MP3 player, and 20 hours xtra talk for a Bluetooth. FANTASTIC product to have packed in your kit! However, just make sure your cell phone is compatible.
GIVEAWAY!
For a chance to win an Energizer Weather Preparedness Tool Kit ($70value), please leave me a comment sharing how you prepare for severe weather OR one item you always have ready to go in case there is a power outage.
EXTRA ENTRIES
1. Mention the giveaway on your own blog linking back to this post and Energizer. Leave an additional comment with a link to where you blogged about the giveaway. This is worth 5 extra entries. Make sure you leave ten separate comments. (example blogged extra entry #1, blogged extra entry #2, blogged extra entry #3, ect…)
2.Place my button on your blog and then leave an additional comment with a link to the page where you put the button. If you already have my button leave a comment letting me know you already have it.
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4. Follow @ahappihippymom on Twitter, plus tweet about the giveaway. Please make sure you leave the link where you tweeted in your comment. TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING I AM ALLOWING 1 TWEETS PER PERSON DAILY. USE THE RETWEET BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR EASY ENTRY.
5. Subscribe to my feed and leave a comment. If you already subscribe leave a comment telling me you are already a subscriber.
6. Become a fan of Energizer on Facebook. This is worth 2 extra entries.
7. Enter any of my other ACTIVE giveaways and leave me a comment for each one you entered.
A winner will be chosen at random via Random.org. Upon notification the winner has 72 hours to send me their contact information. Information will be forwarded to sponsor for prize fulfillment.
Open to US residents only 18+
The contest ends May 16th, 11:59 PM eastern
FTC disclosure : In adherence to the FTC it is necessary to add when ever I receive any compensation in return for posting about a company or product. I received a Energizer Weather Preparedness Tool Kit for review purposes. No further compensation was received. Even though a free product was received, the opinions were of my own.
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I always have candles ready, and they don’t need to be charged.
I have flashlights in every room in my house.
I try to have extra batteries on hand, canned foods and bottled water. We were without electricity for 14 long, hot days a couple of years ago due to Hurricane Ike and I can tell you it is no fun!
I am following on twitter and tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/status/12983858558
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I always have plenty of fresh bottled water on hand as well as plenty of candles.
Thank you.
In case the power goes out i always have a bag in the closet with water bottles, fruit snacks, band aids.
waitressdani (at) hotmail (dot) com
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We have a flashlight and batteries in a drawer in our kitchen.
We keep several gallon jugs of water on hand just in case. And I actually needed them last year- a flooding issue in our community led to us not being able to use or drink tap water for three days. My husband was out of town and I was home alone with a baby and a toddler, and I was SO glad to have those jugs of water for drinking and cleaning. The grocery stores were totally cleaned out. You can bet I replaced them as soon as the crisis was over!
We prepare for hurricane season by having plenty of bottled water and snacks on hand.
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I follow on Twitter as stlyhu and tweeted here: http://twitter.com/stlyhu/status/13004383006
I always have candles ready and a radio that is solar/crank powered.
I always have my Weather Radio on!
Living in earthquake country, we try to keep some hand-crank flashlights around for emergencies at all times. Thank you for the giveaway!
I keep candles too and we have 3 flashlights and two lanterns that are battery powered just in case the power goes out.
Became a fan of Energizer on Facebook.
I have a hand cranked emergency flashlight ready.
I always have my NOAA weather radio and a good lantern ready when a storm comes.
Followed on GFC.
We’re pretty much prepared for anything. The first thing we go for in a power outage is a flashlight.
I have a flashlight at the head of my bed in case of emergency. Thanks!
always have sometype of food , drink and entertainment to the kids to pass the time
Here in Socal, it’s about earthquake preparedness so I always have a flashlight and first aid kit at hand.
.-= Cynthia´s last blog ..Food, Inc. =-.
tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/statuses/13031789828
we always have a flashlight ready!
I prepare for severe weather by having flashlights and candles near
We keep medicines, water and candles in our emergency bag.
Thanks for the chance.
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I have a radio that can be operated by “cranking” it if you run out of battery power.
have a flashlight
I’ve always got flashlights all over the place and candles in a cabinet.
we keep candles and matches in the top of our hall closet
we have flashlights, candles, weather radio, and canned goods – although not in the same place – i need to get that ready for tornado season =S
autumn398 @ yahoo.com
We have a candles, flash lights, candy, water, blankets, radio,
batteries stash in our basement.
We were out of power for over a week last year due to an ice storm. Since we our on private well and sewer, the most important thing that we keep on hand is water! You really appreciate how much water you use in a typical day when you have to haul every gallon by hand!!!
4/29 tweet: http://twitter.com/stlyhu/status/13062924601
I always have candles and matches and water.
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I always keep a few flashlights with fresh batteries on hand for emergencies,an pillows an a battery operated radio on hand
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Follow @ahappihippymom on Twitter,an tweeted
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i use a crank radio
follow on google friend connect
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tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/statuses/13090203204
This would be great for earthquake preparedness. I always have batteries on hand.
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I have battery operate lanterns with extra batteries in my kit.
We always have batteries on hand, candles and matches
tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/statuses/13153696055
I always have the flashlight readily accessible. It also recharges by shaking it, so there are no battery problems
I always have candles in one place for outages!
Thanks for entering me! Great Contest!
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I keep a flashlight in all our main rooms and candles, too.
Thanks very much for the chance to win!
Hugs,
Jamie
jamiejaws AT gmail.com
tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/statuses/13193564076
Always have flashlights..im so terrified beyond belief of severe weather exspecailly TORNADOS!! i dont use candles because im paranoid of a fire if something were to happen, i also keep my cell phone on me for updates and radar location if need be, always also have a matress equipped and ready for coverage in basement!!
We keep flashlights around the house.
Thanks!
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I always fill jugs of water when we know there is a storm coming. I also pull out an old dial up phone that we keep in case the power goes out because our cordless doesn’t work when we loose power.Thanks for sharing this review and giveaway.
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Jar candles are life savers. They burn for hours with a good amount of light. Besides, you might want a scented candle in the bathroom during power outages.
Retweeted @ShorinScythe
We have flashlight, battery operated lantern and some snacks and small toys in a box in our basement for when bad weather and storms hit. The snacks and toys really help the kids not be scared.
This might be a bit sad, but a lot of times I don’t have anything ready when the weather goes bad. We do always have our laptops, and can use their light if the electricity goes out!
followed on twitter. http://twitter.com/nycjg15/status/13323451494
can foods, put bottle water in freezer to drink, alsouse up all the enptey space in my frig and freezer for water, frozen bottle water will keep the frig and freezer clod for days, keep my B-B-Q reaady to cook hot foods and get some MRE;s to eat or wail until they are given out by the guard and get a few free one for us to eat instead of can goods, flashlites, radios etc and try to remember my military training
5/3 tweet: http://twitter.com/stlyhu/status/13327611917
tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/statuses/13328543768
I live nashville where we just had terrible floods over the weekend. Unfortunately i found that I wasn’t as prepaired as I thought I was. I had some candles and flashlights but not enough batteries and that was it. I learned my lesson and will be much more prepaired noext time.
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I keep flashlights, batteries, emergency candles, and bottled water in case of power outages or extreme weather.
Water and portable radios
I have a blanket and a gallon of water in the back of my car in case I have to leave quick.
smchester at gmail dot com
I have a flashlight always ready just in case and some where I think I have candles.
In my house we have to keep candles and matches on hand, the fire, heat, and light is irreplaceable in an emergency.
I have a handcrank radio/lantern ready to go
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5/4 tweet: http://twitter.com/stlyhu/status/13384812104
we have a radio that runs off batteries but if the batteries goes dead we have a crank that you crank it and it will run
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Because we backpack and camp a lot, I think we are more prepared for severe weather than most. We can pull out the headlamps, lanterns, stove, water treatment tablets and be ready for almost anything.
Weather radio, candles, flashlights, including two wind-up ones, bottled water, and blankets.