Challenge for June- Emergency Light & Power

 

Emergency Light & Power

JUNE 2021

 

Regarding a Power Outage:

BEFORE:

®    Learn location of fuse box or circuit breaker.

®    Store candles, flashlights, extra batteries, glow sticks.

®    Have food and water supplies on hand.

®    Know the exact location of all camping equipment (stove, lantern, sleeping bags, etc.). Keep all equipment operational and know how to use them. [Remember that camping equipment requiring gasoline, propane, white gas, Coleman fuel or charcoal briquettes should not be used inside the house! There must be good ventilation—Use outside!]

®    Keep adequate supply of fuel on hand. Only kerosene may be used in the house and stored in direct sunlight. Check the limit of kerosene you can store on your property. 

DURING:

®    Unplug all appliances. Turn off all but one light switch.

®    Use refrigerator or freezer sparingly and quickly to avoid food thawing and spoiling. If dry ice is available, put it in a carboard box and then on top of food.

®    Use camping equipment outside. Only a fireplace, a properly installed wood stove, or a new style kerosene heater should be used inside, safely, with the room ventilated.

®    Report any downed power lines.

AFTER:

®    When power is restored, plug in appliances one-by-one, waiting a few minutes in between each one. This may prevent an overload on the system.

®    Examine frozen food. If it still contains ice crystals, it may be refrozen. If meat is off-color or smells, throw away.

 

Emergency Lighting—Light can be calming in an emergency.

Candles (Tallow)	Burns brighter, longer, and are fairly smoke-free when compared to wax candles. (Make candles from corrugated paper: Cut strips 1 ½” wide. Roll each strip tightly. Fit in a tuna can. Pour melted paraffin wax in can to soak the paper; fill the extra space. Each can will burn 1 ½-2 hrs.)
Cyalume (silium) Sticks	Lasts 7-8 hours and are the only source of safe light after an earthquake. Stores 4 yrs. in foil.
Easy Emergency Lighting*	Install plug-in emergency lights throughout your home. They will serve as Plug-In-Night Lights until needed in an emergency—at which time they will illuminate. Pull out of electrical socket and they can be used as a Handheld Flashlight.
Flashlights & Batteries	Continuous 6-7 hrs. use. Rotate batteries often. Never turn a flashlight on or off, if there is possibility a ruptured gas line.
Kerosene Lantern & fuel	Excellent source of light and inexpensive to operate if maintained properly. One-quart lasts 45 burning hours. Tall chimneys give more light. Trim wicks in a V arch or A.
Oil Lamp	Odorless and relatively safe. They don’t give as much light as kerosene or camping lanterns.
Propane/Coleman (gas) Lanterns	2-Mantle Best—One-half quart lasts 5 hours. Fiber-glass wick is best. Store extra mantles.  Ventilation is important. Store plenty of extra mantles and matches. (A mantle is a fragile mesh cover fixed around a gas jet, kerosene wick, etc., to give an incandescent light when heated).
Matches	Store 1,000+ wooden matches & butane lighters (Bic) to light candles, lanterns & fireplaces.

 

*Emergency Plug-In Lighting—suggestions only:

Amerelle Emergency Light—1-pack - $10.98 / 2-pack - $21.98 / 3-pack - $27.98 / 5-pack - $44.98 / 6-pack - $54.98

Energizer 4-in1 LED Power Failure Night Light—1-pack - $12.32 / 2-pack - $20.80 / 6-pack - $35.73  

Westinghouse 4-in-1 Power Failure Night Light—3-pack - $34.99

Westek Emergency Light—1 pack - $9.55 / 2-pack - $17.98 / 6-pack - $44.97

 

HEATING & COOKING without POWER—Choose the heat source that is best for you.

®    Charcoal Briquettes for Hibachi or Charcoal Grill—3-4 briquettes in a small (8” x 8”) grill will generate enough heat to cook a simple meal and at the same time provide a little heat. Outdoor use only! Store charcoal in an airtight container. Remember to store charcoal starter too.

[Charcoal can be made from black walnuts, peach and apricot pits, willows, twigs and limbs of fruit, and other hardwood trees. It makes a hot fire which gives off little or no smoke. To make charcoal, simply put the wood or nuts in a can which has a few holes punched in it. Put a lid on the can and “cook” it over a hot fire. The holes in the can will allow the gasses and flame to escape. The exclusion of oxygen keeps the wood from completely burning to ashes. When the flame from the holes in the can turns to yellow-red, remove the can from the fire and allow to cool. Store in paper bags or cardboard cartons.]

®   Coleman Fuel Camping Stove (white gas)—Outdoor use only! Both burners in use 4-hours per-day will utilize the approximate amounts of Coleman fuel:

Kerosene—Many kerosene heaters double as a cooking unit and are less expensive.

®    Propane—Camping stove (indoor or outside use). Remember to ventilate room.

®    Newspapers for Fuel—Use 16 sections (five double sheets in each section) for each log. With double sheets folded to page size, fold each separate section in half once, then once again. Stack the sections, alternating cut sides with folded ones, with the bottom section extending out about 4 inches. Roll very tightly, securing in the center of the roll with a piece of wire. Four (4) logs last approximately 1 hour.

®    Sterno Fuel—is a brand of jellied, denatured alcohol sold in a can and meant to be burned directly in its can. Its primary uses are in food service for buffet heating, in the home for fondue, and as a chafing fuel for heating chafing dishes. Other uses are for portable stoves and as an emergency heat source.

®    Tin-Can Stove—is simply a gallon or a #10 can containing a heating unit.

A tightly-folded, coiled newspaper or corrugated paper pushed into a tuna can and soaked in paraffin wax provides a heat source. Fold a big double-size page lengthwise, accordion style and force-fit into a tuna can. Pour paraffin wax over the paper in the can. The paper acts as a wick, and wax burns hot and clean, providing adequate heat for emergency cooking. This heat source will burn approximately 1-2 hours.

®    Hand and Feet Warmers—are small packets which can produce heat on demand. They can also provide soothing heat for muscular or joint aches.