Congress replenished the National Flood Insurance Program Friday to help those affected by Superstorm Sandy, and promised more help to come on Jan. 15. With this being the time for resolutions- and all those warnings Sandy was just the beginning of what New Jerseyans should expect as normal weather- preparing for a storm-filled future can be a great plan for the new year.
One of the biggest issues that affected just about everyone was power outages. Those who had power were those who had generators. Generators can be very expensive and should be given the same amount of research and saving as any major purchase. Amazon has fairly complete guide on generators to help consumers make the right decision for their needs.
In the meantime, a reliable, multitasking flashlight would come in handy. Just before the storm- or any major weather event for that matter- just about every store in the area was sold out of flashlights and D batteries.
Avoid stress and waste of time searching and get a Power Up flashlight available at Things Remembered stores. The flashlight is powered by cranking it, eliminating the need for batteries. It also has an FM stereo, alarm and phone charger. The phone charger part can be a little tricky and doesn't provide as much power as plugging it into a car for five minutes, but it could be useful in a pinch.
Often the store has the flashlights on a special 50% off sale that allows customers to purchase two for the price of one.
Lowe's also has a few options for crankable flashlights with radio and phone charging add-ons. Other companies that sell flashlights that do not need batteries include LL Bean and REI.
Another item that sells out quickly before storms is bottled water. Gallon bottles of water are usually less than a dollar, so it is affordable to add one to the grocery list every once in a while to build up a stockpile for emergencies. Even though water is stamped with an expiration date, it does not expire. For those who are still concerned about the expiration date, use the water from time to time and keep replenishing.
Families that don't already have one may want to work on gathering other items for a hurricane kit. For suggestions of what to have on hand, the state's Office of Emergency Management has provided this guide.
Hurricane kits don't need to be held for the summer storms- supplies could also be useful during winter's powerful nor'easters. Hurricane season is from June 1 to Nov. 30, but New Jersey usually sees tropical storms between August and late October, according to the state Office of Emergency Management.
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