Patch Picks: Five Must-Haves For Your Next Power Outage

Survivor: Western Springs and La Grange Edition. This week Patch empowers the powerless with some hot products and cool picks for mastering life unplugged.  

1. Let there be headlights. Power Inverter, Radio Shack, 708-352 -2360, 535 South La Grange Road, La Grange; and Home Depot, 708-352-1550, 140 Countryside Plaza, Countryside. Power inverters turn your car into a generator. It won’t light up your whole house, but you can at least fire up your laptop, run appliances, or charge your kids' phones—at least if they’re texting, they aren’t hovering around asking “when is the power
   coming back on?” 
2. Be cool, collected, and connected. iPhone 4, AT&T Store, 708-354-6672, 34 North La Grange Road, La Grange. Check email, make calls and surf the web for emergency rations (Ledo’s). The flashlight app uses the camera’s flash to emit a powerful LED light (almost) visible from space.
3. Lights, sirens and badge definitely not included. Police Scanner, Radio Shack,708-352-2360, 535 South La Grange Rd, La Grange. You can tap into first responders’ frequencies and hear exactly what’s going on as soon as the lights go off. Buy a manual to search out frequencies that correspond to your eavesdropping requirements… I mean, "listening enjoyment." You can also hear airline communications and pick up the National Weather Service. Don’t get too excited, the communication is one-way.
4. Fishing pond not included. (Improvised) Outdoor Kitchen. (708) 246-0892, 835 Burlington Avenue, Western Springs. Buy a bigger grill, and a couple extra coolers: you can keep your staples cold, cook 'em and eat 'em up. It’s like camping in your house. 
5. Speaking of the hardware store… Flashlights. , 708-246-0892, 835 Burlington Avenue, Western Springs. The ProLite Flashlight is a vertical task light you can hang or hold. It has low and high settings depending on if you are engaged in an emergency embroidery project (high), or brushing your teeth (low)—either way you are spared some seriously stubbed toes.