We lost electrical power during a thunderstorm the other day. Internet—gone. Lights and stove—off. Refrigerator—nope. Home alarm system—toast. The cell phone still worked. I checked the gas gauge in the truck and drove 22 miles to fill its tank and two additional red plastic gas cans. I’ve been through enough hurricanes and tropical storms in Florida to know the drill.
It was early evening, and so, not knowing how long the outage would last, I inventoried our nighttime necessities. Bath early—yes, before the wife (“But my long hair…!”) and kids (“But there’s still hot water!”). Selfish; got it. Checked the Coleman stove for fuel for dinner and breakfast if required. Planned what we would need if I opened the refrigerator and its freezer. I holstered my Walther .40, then loaded the Remington 12-gauge and placed it with extra shells on top of the china cabinet. The wife and I discussed the situation—she laughed, but nevertheless talked to the kids—and looked for candles, a lighter, and flashlights.
Bingo. I located a few half-melted candles under the kitchen sink; the butane lighter we use for the fireplace and the grill seemed moderately full. The Coleman lantern worked just fine; I had fuel and extra mantles, but the lantern gets very hot and then it isn’t especially portable.
Not one of the dozen or so flashlights around the house and garage worked worth a damn, though—not even the ones in our cars. Regardless of where they were purchased or what kinds of batteries they used or how much they cost, not one of them was bright…or was going to hold its power for long.
I’ve used rechargeable batteries in designated flashlights before, but they seem to lose power quickly and in our power outage, it was already too late to check that option. The trickle charger I use for the boat’s battery was fine—as long as the sun was shining, but we weren’t planning to use the boat (although not a bad idea in a survival situation)—and the lights in the boat and my tackle box were also dead.
I gathered the dead and practically-dead flashlights—the cheap throw-aways from Walmart and the more expensive, and far more brilliant tactical lights—and wondered whether it was worth yet another 22-plus mile round trip to buy a sack of batteries.
I’m willing to bet that, unless you are in law enforcement, your household is similar to my own. (I’ve been told by several sporting goods retailers that cops absolutely love tactical flashlights—almost as much as their duty weapon. If that’s not true, let us know.) If you don’t have light when you need it, you’ll be the barbecue, not the chef.
An option, and a good one, of course—no, not an option, a necessity when the lights go out—is some type of tactical night-vision device. Mine is a Stealth Cam, but it operates on four AA batteries. (And thank goodness I didn’t throw away the instruction manual.) A flashlight (for our Brit and Aussie friends, a torch) is simple: turn on, adjust the beam, turn off—although it comes with multiple additional functions—flashing, strobe, colored lenses, etc.—all of which have their uses. Not so a night vision device. I played with it a lot when I got it, but have since forgotten how to use it effectively. The electricity dying gave me an opportunity (a need?) to brush up on the technology; gave me, in fact, an opportunity to dig it out of the closet and place it on the shelf beside the Remington.
Eventually, I decided that yes, damn, I would make the 22-mile round trip drive to a store—again—for batteries. Of course, by the time I returned home, electricity had been restored.
Now, you can say that I got all excited, drove 44 miles, for nothing. Or you can look at the way I choose to see the afternoon/evening. It made me think, reminded me of my responsibilities. Made me assess my gear and gave me “talking points” to discuss with the family. All-in-all, the electrical failure showed me that I wasn’t prepared, that preach as I might, it’s good not to shout in an echo-chamber, and that a regular, scheduled inventory of the “go-bag” and other family survival systems is absolutely necessary.
So are you ready to check your batteries? It’s a small thing, sure, but in the dark a replacement pack of Cs or AAs can be the difference between Reveille or Taps.
