Gadgets to help you through a hurricane

Gary Krakow Columnist • E-mail

The monster hurricanes that have hit the U.S. this year have shown that people need to be prepared for the worst in every way. Receiving up-to-date information during a major emergency can be just as necessary as a good supply of fresh food and water. That’s why it’s so important to have a portable radio available when life and limb are threatened.

And radios are useful even long after the storm has passed. Weeks after Katrina passed, for example, many New Orleans residents were still without TVs or the electricity to run them. The defining medium was radio.

In the wake of the storms, some radio stations joined forces to create a 24-hour-a-day emergency news and notification system, while others broadcast on borrowed shortwave equipment and frequencies to get the word out.

Transistor radios area a basic essential in disaster areas. Any portable radio will do, even the simplest small portable radio that runs on penlight batteries. If you don’t already have one, you can find them in drug stores, hardware stores, supermarkets and electronics stores.

Just to get an idea what’s available — and since you can find one of their retail stores almost everywhere, I did a quick check on Radio Shack’s Web site and found a number of small models that would be perfect in an emergency. Their small AM-FM pocket radio (12-467) sells for $16.99.

Radio Shack A humble transistor radio - like Radio Shack's 12-830 - could be a lifesaver in an emergency.

I found a few more shirt pocket-sized radios including an AM/FM portable (12-468) that also includes television and weather reception bands. At $29.99 it seems very handy for tracking hurricanes and the aftermath. There’s even one tiny Grundig portable radio (12-830) with AM, FM and shortwave which sells for $29.99.

The thing to remember about this or any standard portable radio is batteries. A fresh set of batteries might last a few days or maybe a week if you don’t keep the radio on 24 hours a day. A second set of new, dry batteries are a must.

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