I'm bored tonight.. So let's pretend for a minute..

[C.Ann]

It's 9:30 at night.. You're sitting wherever in your home.. You can hear a thunderstorm off in the distance.. Suddenly it's right there where you are.................................

Do you have a flashlight right next to you - in case the power goes out - or if it does, are you going to have to stumble around in the dark and try to find one?


As soon as I hear thunder in the distance (after dark), I get my flashlight and have it right here beside me..

 

[crz4mm2]

Nope, I'd have to go find one.

 

[S. C.]

I would have to stumble upstairs and get the one I keep in my bedroom. Had one here on the computer desk but it is gone. One of the grandkids must of taken it and not put it back.

Thats why I keep one upstairs, I have one in my car too.

 

[RyeCrimsonMoon]

Nope, I don't think we even have one. I'd just curl up in my bed and go to sleep probably

 

[Serena]

LOL, ok, I'll play. Even if I didn't have my cell phone which could light my way, the flashlight is within 10 steps of my bedroom. And in the frontroom on my mantle. Not very decorative, I know, but my fireplace matches are there too.

 

[EthansMom]

Here in the NE, most of the power lines are still overhead and we lose power with suprising regularity when there are big storms.

A few weeks ago, we had a storm, lost power, and I couldn't find one flashlight in the house that had fresh batteries AND a working bulb. I managed to find a candle and lighter. I went out the next day and bought four new high-quality flashlights (one for each family member) and threatened dire consequences for any family member who used one of them for anything other than a power outage. Those flashlights are now stored above the dryer where I can find them quickly in a power outage.

So, no, I wouldn't put a flashlight right next to me but I do know where they are stored. We also bought a woodstove, partly to keep our family warm in case of winter storms (and associated power outages). And switching the kids to inhalers instead of nebulizers for breathing treatments has reduced our need for electricity for medical needs. We're on a well here, though, and lose some use of water when we lose power ("if it's yellow, let it mellow" is in effect in our house during outages). Eventually, we might like to buy a generator.

 

[C.Ann]

Gosh - so far it looks like I'm the "odd person out" - LOL.. I always have a flashlight next to me when there's a thunderstorm..

What the heck would you folks do if there was a tornado or a hurricane coming??

 

[georgina]

Nope. Power went out a week ago, first I lit a candle (can find the lighter in the kitchen even in the dark) and then I got the flashlights and batteries. Cell phones work well in a pinch too. No hurricanes in PA, and rarely a tornado, so I wouldn't do anything different in those cases.

 

[Liberty Belle]

No. That's not me at all. If the news said it was going to be a particularly bad one, I might go get a flashlight and make the kids stay near (within a room away) me, but that's it.

 

[tabby1881]

We lose power fairly often here, so we do have flashlights in almost every room in the house. Do they all work? I will have to check. My favorite gadget is our little storm center. That is our best flashlight, radio etc.

 

[Serena]

Gosh - so far it looks like I'm the "odd person out" - LOL.. I always have a flashlight next to me when there's a thunderstorm..

What the heck would you folks do if there was a tornado or a hurricane coming??

If the weather is bad enough I have my kids, or I did when they were little, have my kids go downstairs with vitamins, water, dogs, toilet paper, and a flashlight. I stayed upstairs and watched the news and the sky. The backdoor is right at the stairs, so it does get bad fast, I'm downstairs in 10 seconds or less.

 

[tigercat]

I have flashlights by my bed, in the upstairs bathroom, in a cupboard in the dining area (easy reach) and on top of the fridge. Easy to reach and get. I have a small house so they are all within reach. Funny though we had a power failure last week and I told my dh that we should replace all the one's that are getting old and letting the dgrkids play with the old ones and we'll keep the new ones. Some of the older one's are losing their battery even though they are not in use all the time. I just don't want to have to depend on them and have them give up the ghost.
tigercat

 

[MerMom60_94]

I wouldn't think to run for the flashlight but I know exactly where one is, along with a battery lantern. At 9:30 at night I would probably just hang it up for the night though. You got me to thinking, though, if the power goes out will I lose the laptop? It's on a battery and even if I lost the net I would have enough light to get me through the house.

 

[onelilspark]

I hate storms, so the first thing I do is grab a flashlight. We usually don't lose power though, and when we do, it's not for long.

My Mom got me a flashlight where all you have to do is twist it. That way I don't have to worry about whether or not the batteries are fresh! We had bad storms on Saturday night, first thing I did was go find my flashlight!!!

 

[GSDRescuer]

Yes, I have one right here on my computer desk!!

 

[C.Ann]

I hate storms, so the first thing I do is grab a flashlight. We usually don't lose power though, and when we do, it's not for long.

My Mom got me a flashlight where all you have to do is twist it. That way I don't have to worry about whether or not the batteries are fresh! We had bad storms on Saturday night, first thing I did was go find my flashlight!!!

I have a wind-up LED flashlight too.. Throws off some serious light! My DD's DH got it for me for Christmas because the power can go off pretty easily up here in the mountains and he didn't want me stumbling around in the dark to find a flashlight - only to find that the batteries were dead.. That's the one I keep near me while I'm still awake.. In my bedroom, I have a regular flashlight that I stick inside my slipper every night when I go to bed in case I should need it..

 

[ticktock]

I'm in Fl were it thunders most days. I don't carry a flash light around with me though.

 

[LUCiD]

My dad keeps track of the flashlights, because he knows that if I'm left in charge of anything, we may never find it again...

 

[4nana]

I'm with ya C.Ann ! Living in the country, you know the ole' fokes are always prepared ! Matter of fact, this happened first of the month, the very first night DS and family arrived from their cross country trip.

It was 9pm, we lost power for an hour, thankfully DH has a backup ER flashlight radio gagdet, my trusty flash light stays on my bed stand, we keep candles
and have 4 oil lamps stored in the family room.

We greeted our DS, DIL and 4 sweet grands with flashlights ! We simply practiced making lemonade out of lemons, had lots of fun catching up and enjoying home made brownie with milk by candle light. It was quite the fun adventurous evening we'll always remember!!

 

[DisMomme]

We lose power almost every time it storms outside or even when the wind picks up for that matter I always get the flashlight out and make sure the batteries are still working when I hear a storm coming. I bring it up to bed with me too, just in case.

My sons have one of those wind up flashlights with their camping gear. I should bring it inside. I forgot about it. It is pretty bright. Thanks for the reminder!