Housekeeping:

If you don’t know where to start in prepping, check out my resource page at theprepperpodcast.com/gettingstarted, this is where I am getting the outline of my discussions here!

Don’t forget to give me a review at theprepperpodcast.com/itunes or theprepperpodcast.com/stitcher and you could win a consulting call with me.

I got no response from people wanting me to the NPS Prepper Expo in Kentucky, so, I am not going.  I will be doing a Warrior Dash 5k instead on October 10th.  We will be doing the St. Jude heat, because it’s not worth doing unless we raise some money.  If you would like to donate to St. Jude, please go to http://theprepperpodcast.com/warrior2015. Our minimum goal is $600 total.

Someone sent me an email: I mentioned in my podcast a few weeks ago that I have flouride tablets, but actually it is iodine tablets.

Episode 100 is fast approaching, email me with your suggestions on an awesome 100th episode.

Topic:

Make it Through Any Blackout with This Amazing Lights-Out Kit

A Blackout Kit is a simple, MUST-HAVE Part of Your Preparedness

It provides you with:

Necessary Lighting

Insane gear organization

Real-time information

Blackouts Suck, and Can Happen for Many Different Reasons

Blackouts can occur for minutes or for weeks.  If you live in a rural area, think that it will happen during the latter.

I am not discussing extended blackouts.  This is your home bug-in preps.  What I am talking about today is your short term lights-out kit.

Heavy wind is a major cause of blackouts.  Wind can come from:

Tornados

Large Storms

Dense Squall Lines

Hurricanes

We can lose our power lines and transformers if they are weighted down.

Snow Storms

Ice Storms

The power company could intentionally shut your power down.

You don’t pay your bills

They make a mistake about your bills

There is maintenance that needs to be done on a connected part of the grid.

Obviously I didn’t cover everything, but that isn’t important.  Basic blackout kits are!

The first and most important Black-Out Kit component: Lighting!

 

Always look at lighting as your first item in a lights out kit.

Lighting is the only component that I am not telling you to place in a central container.

The reason for this is:

You need to have lighting available to you at all times no matter where you are.

You could hurt yourself if you fumble around in the dark.

Lights are your way to find your gear.  How can you find your gear if your light is with it.

Because it is your main resource when power goes out, you need a mega butt-ton of lights.

Every single room in the house should have a small LED flashlight like the CREE 7w.

It is durable, cheap, and extremely useful.

For less than 30 dollars, you can have one in each room of the home.

I recommend buying one for each child with their names on it, so they know how to use them.

Headlamp trumps flashlight every time.  They are hands free.  Now your hands are freed up to:

Mess around with your generator when it is rainy and pitch black outside.

Easily grab your bag and set your supplies up.

Always have light pointing in the direction you are looking.