Wall Street Journal Online - Emergency TIPS n gadgets

[west3man]

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB112726351151246869-32x1vcDL_INwFHZYWXjo18tALEs_20060921,00.html?mod=b logs

We Try Hand-Crank Radios,
Disposable Phone Chargers;
60 Minutes of Talk Time


"So this week, my assistant Katie Boehret and I tested gadgets that are specifically designed to work in emergency situations. We tested two radios that use cranks to recharge their batteries, including one with a built-in cellphone charger. We also took a look at disposable chargers for cellphones, smart phones and even iPod music players."

I thought this might be interesting and potentially useful for many of us, whether you live in a 'cane-threatened area or not.

[west3man]

Here's one I thought up, recently. If you wait out a storm, it might be worthwhile to fill everything you can with fresh water - tap or otherwise.

Water can become so scarce (during the worst situations, I mean) that you don't wanna use what you have for bathing when you can use it to drink. If you fill your tub and sinks with water, though, you can at least wash up, maybe brush your teeth.

Those kinds of things can really affect how comfortable or uncomfortable people are during the worst days and weeks.