Disclosure: I received a MyCharge HubPlus 6700mAh at no cost for review purposes. I’m a loyal fan and proud owner of several MyCharge portable power packs and love sharing my thoughts about them with you!
During the last week of the holiday season this past year, we experienced a heavy windstorm that knocked the power out all over the area for days. This occurred a few days before Christmas. The problem with this windstorm is that it wasn’t necessarily predicted to be as bad as it was, leaving residents like me – unprepared. Some residents went without power for about 48 hours, some for a week or more.
With three kids at home, there were moments where I did panic a bit. Because of this, I made sure to plan ahead and prepare for possible future power outages. When we had our week long snow storm in February, we were prepared. The power didn’t go out, but we were warned about the possibilities of power outages during the snow storm. Here are some tips that I wanted to share with you based on our personal experience with the latest power outage.
1. Stock up on lanterns, flashlights, and batteries.
During the windstorm power outage, I found myself scrambling around the house to find lighting for our home. I was able to find our 15 year old unity candle from our wedding, two used candles that I pulled from a recent swap, and a few flashlights that I found placed in random drawers. I did not have a specific place in my home devoted to lighting. Lesson learned. I have one now. In this storage bin, I keep our four pack of lanterns that I purchased after the power outage, a few candles with lighters, flashlights, and batteries. I do recommend using the lanterns and flashlights before candles, but if you need to light candles, you will be prepared with them. We light our candles in the kitchen out of reach of our children for safety purposes.
2. Keep your portable power packs charged.
With three kids, my husband, and myself using our devices for entertainment during power outages, I was thankful that we had a couple of portable power packs on hand, fully charged. Portable power packs are amazing to have during times like power outages. Thanks to the MyCharge portable power packs, I now have a least one power pack per family member. This will allow everyone to have their own portable charger during outages to keep devices charged. We use our portable power packs on a daily basis around our home, so they are a great investment and something I highly recommend you add to your emergency kit! They are great for on the go, too!
The MyCharge HubPlus 6700mAh charges up to three devices (smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, headphones, BT speaker) at once. This portable power pack has a built in wall prong for rapid recharge of the power bank. It includes built-in lightning & micro-USB cables to quickly charge your devices. I absolutely love this feature because it keeps me from having to look around for extra cables to use for charging!
Check out more MyCharge Portable PowerPacks. I recommend having one for each family member! While you are here, read my review on the MyCharge Unplugged 5k charger.
3. Stock up on non-perishables and water.
When I looked through our remaining food items after the power went out, I was afraid we didn’t have enough. This was due to poor planning. When I shop now, I try to grab at least a gallon or two of water to store once a month. By doing this, we will have water on hand during the next outage. I also grab a few cans of soup and other non-perishable kid friendly foods and place them at the top of our pantry where we store our emergency food. By shopping a little here and there, I’m confident that we have enough food and water for another power outage. Our emergency food and water did come in handy during the recent snow storm and I’ll be replacing what we used during future shopping trips.
Check out these emergency food storage options.
4. Stock up on games.
There’s not much you can do during power outages and kids can get bored quickly. My kids received a Crayola Light Board for Christmas and it came in handy during the power outage! Battery operated, light up toys are perfect for times like this. If you don’t have any of these types of games or toys, pull out the traditional board games and flashlights for a family game day or night.
Related: The Importance of Family Game Nights
5. Keep cash available.
When the power goes out, many businesses can lose power, too. We had one grocery store operating with cash only for payment during the outage. We did NOT have cash on hand during this last power outage – lesson learned again. Store cash in a fire safe for future emergencies. I would recommend at least $100 if not more for things like food and gas.
These are my top 5 ways to be prepared for a power outage. Prepare in advance so that you don’t feel that sense of panic like I did when our power went out for a few days!
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