![\"\"](\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/katrina-08-28-2005.jpg\" "\\"katrina-08-28-2005\\"")
<\/a>Hurricane Katrina (photo source: NOAA)<\/p><\/div>\n
These two facts, coming as they do on the heels of several recent natural disasters in the US (hurricane, flooding, fires, an earthquake) have meant that I’ve received several inquiries about what radios (and supplies) are best for emergency preparedness<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n So, I’ve decided to offer a comprehensive guide to preparedness. It\u00a0includes specific suggestions for radios and other supplies (food, medical, etc.) one should have in stock in case of an emergency.<\/p>\n This is a lot of information, so I have broken it down into two posts:<\/p>\n We also believe in helping the neighbors whenever we can.\u00a0 Oh, and a sense of humor helps keeps things in perspective.<\/p>\n What type of radio do you need? More than one type, in my view, if you can afford them. At a minimum, you should keep on hand the following:<\/p>\n\n
<\/a>I’m no preparedness expert–and I’m certainly not a devotee of apocalyptic thinking<\/em>–but in the rural area where I live, in a passive solar home, preparedness is an everyday fact. Power from the grid goes out here frequently, and when it snows, we can be stuck out here for a day or two at least. When weather or other problems occur, as they invariably do, we’re guided by the three emergen-Cs:\u00a0 we simply stay calm<\/em>, use common sense,<\/em> and solve any problems creatively.<\/em> We keep several days of food in stock, have on hand emergency lighting, a generator (which we regularly maintenance), and spare fuel for the generator; meanwhile, my ham radio station can run on a fully-charged battery bank for days. Our\u00a0refrigerator\u00a0and freezer are solar-powered with battery back-up as well. When the power goes out, we may notice it, but only just.<\/p>\nIn the wake of natural or man-made disasters, radio is your friend<\/h2>\n
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\nAs this thought-provoking video points out<\/a>, no matter where you live in the world, communication is one of the most important ways you can maintain control when the world around you is out<\/em> of control.<\/p>\n\n
Review of the \u00a0best self-powered emergency radios<\/h2>\n