With all of the storms raging across the country lately, the power companies are working overtime trying to restore electric to the millions of homes that have lost it during the floods, tornadoes, and severe thunder storms. Judging by the activity this early in the season, plan on a wet summer. While it is potentially a meteorologists’ fantasy, I for one do not like the idea of being without power. It gets nerve racking, especially with the kids being upset at the same time. You know how they can get when their video games are not available. Or the computer for my oldest daughter. It’s like their life line was pulled and they start gasping for air. Generators work great, but with gas prices through the roof, who can afford to run them for the longer outages? I can’t even afford to drive to work nowadays! Batteries never last very long, either. So rather than sitting in the dark with a candle trying to figure out what is going on, you can always turn to the crank powered alternatives.

Many of you have probably seen the crank flashlights; the LED lamp powered by the spin of the crank rather than traditional batteries. The Eton Grundig FR300 AM/FM radio uses the same idea, but gives you so much more to go with it. First, it is an AM/FM radio, receiving news broadcasts to advise you of what to do in case you are stuck in a real emergency. It also pulls in the NOAA weather channels, giving you the latest weather advisories so you know what to expect during the outage and where to go in case you need to evacuate. VHF frequencies can also be received, so you can still catch that season finale of your favorite TV show, at least the audio anyways (you will soon know what grandma used to do for entertainment). And finally, you can get cell phone power restored so you can keep in communication with family and friends, letting them know you are still alive. That’s a lot of stuff in one little box. All you have to do is crank the lever for 90 seconds, and get nearly 15 minutes of juice. This would really come in handy for all types of emergencies. Keep it in the car incase you ever get stranded, and leave it at home when staying in. I wouldn’t go anywhere without this by my side.

Better get your arms in shape, though, because you may end up doing a lot of cranking. Ninety seconds may not sound long, but after second 47 you will be wishing you were done. And once the little ones know you have an unending power source, you will be cranked out before you know it trying to keep their favorite songs going on the radio. That being said, it is always important to have up to date information at such delicate times, especially in this day and age. Therefore, I see this as a no brainer. They should make it mandatory that each household get one of these instead of worrying about HDTV cable transmission. Which one is going to work for you in a power outage?

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