Learning + Tutorials

If Super Storm Sandy taught anyone on the east coast anything, it's that huge winter storms can happen and cause incredible destruction and inconvenience.

Power outages are commonplace and can take weeks to restore, which leaves people without heat, hot water and electricity. 

You may not be able to drive due to snow, ice, and downed trees. That means limited access to food. Water pipes can freeze and explode without heat causing your home to become uninhabitable.

Floods are perhaps the deadliest and most destructive of all natural disasters. The rush of water can destroy buildings, wash away cars and people in a matter of minutes.

They can happen anywhere: cities, towns, the countryside. Even desert dwellers can be surprised with flash flooding. 

You only need to watch a few videos to see what can happen in the extreme cases, and flash floods happen all the time in the US.

For most of us, having access to electrical power has become so second nature that we hardly give it a thought. It's so abundant to be almost free, and there are lots of places all around to plug in your cell phone when it runs out of juice.

But if the grid goes down for a long period of time, or you need to charge your devices on the move, then you need to consider sources of portable power if you are serious about prepping.