Emergency Radio

It tunes into weather band, AM and FM. AM in particular travels a long way, especially at night, so you can usually reach a broadcast even when local stations are down. Reception depends on your location and terrain, like any radio, but with three bands you have more ways to find a working signal.

It keeps your phone alive for the calls and texts that matter, topping it up for what you actually need in an emergency rather than a full overnight recharge. Think of it as buying back the battery you would otherwise burn searching for a signal.

Test it the day it arrives, that is exactly what we ask. Crank it, find a station, plug in your phone. If anything is not right, send it back inside your 30-day money-back guarantee. Better to find out on day one than during the storm.

No decoding required. Turn it on, tune the dial, crank it if you need power. It is simple enough that a child could run it in the dark, which matters, because the person holding it during an emergency might not be you.

It uses quality lithium cells chosen to hold their charge in storage. We suggest topping it up every few months, the same way you check a smoke detector. And even if the battery is flat, the hand crank and solar panel will always bring it back to life.

Tune it to the weather band and you get continuous official broadcasts on local conditions, storm tracks and emergency information, no internet and no cell signal needed. AM and FM are there too for local news and updates.

It is water resistant, built to shrug off rain, splashes and a wet pack, so it keeps working through a storm. It is not made to be submerged, so don't drop it in a flood or a sink and expect it to survive.

A generator powers your house. It does not power the cell tower down the road, and it does not tell you whether the water is safe or when help is coming. This is the part of your plan that keeps you informed when the grid and the towers are both down.

It is built to be heard clearly across a room, over wind and rain on the roof, not just in a quiet tent. You can follow the broadcast from the next room while you handle everything else going on.

One covers a household. That said, most people end up with more than one: one for the house, one for the car, one for their parents, one for the kid who moved away. There is no wrong number, only the people you want covered when the power goes out.