September is National Preparedness Month. It’s also the time of the year that we usually take inventory for winter. The first category of preparedness I look at is light. There are several possible scenarios that we prep for.

The most likely weather related power outage would be related to wind in a blizzard. This isn’t something that usually happens, but we prepare for it anyway because it is the most likely storm we will have.  There is also the random accident or malfunction that may happen with power lines, which are also extremely rare.

The next category for preparing light sources is for holidays and the general longer nights of winter. We use candles in our every day decorating and for when we have people over. During September, I check strings of lights, outdoor or indoor lights we use for decorating,  light bulbs, flashlights, and other utility lights such as headlamps we use more frequently in winter. I also check the solar path lights outside that are useful for dark or stormy nights.

I found two of these sconces at a flea market for $10 and love them! We are able to use the rechargeable candles in them as nightlights year round, and during an emergency if needed.

With the protected glass enclosure, we are also able to use regular tea lights in the sconces.

We have small, long-burning emergency candles as well as a variety of tea light sized candles and holders. All of these are unscented. I keep each of them in a jar with matches and ready to use.

In an extended power outage, we have a couple of solar lanterns that work with batteries, charge in the sun,  or can be charged with a USB cord. We have a couple of small chargers that will recharge the lanterns as well as other electronics and batteries if needed.

In the event that something catastrophic happens, we have a small solar panel that will recharge all of the portable chargers and lights.

For me, the point of preparing is primarily for safety. Although we prepare for winter and storms, we take this time to also check and be sure electrical cords, lamps, surge protectors, and rechargeable electronics are all in working order and don’t need replacing.

Although we use many of these things on an ordinary day, it’s good to know that, should that rare winter storm happen, we will not be sitting in the dark.