Emergency Radios and Power Banks for Outages

During an outage, two devices keep you connected: a radio for official alerts and a power bank for your phone. Choosing well means looking past marketing numbers. Here is what to check.

Emergency radios

A good emergency radio receives broadcast alerts when the internet and cell networks fail.

• Weather band. In the United States, look for NOAA Weather Radio reception with automatic alerts. Models with SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) let you filter alerts for your county.
• AM/FM. Local stations carry emergency news and instructions.
• Multiple power sources. Hand-crank, solar, USB and battery power give you backups.
• Hand cranking is slow and best treated as a last resort.
• Built-in light and USB output. Handy extras, though the phone charging from a crank radio is limited.
• Durability. Water resistance and a sturdy case matter for a device you rely on in a storm.

Power banks: reading the specs

Capacity is listed in milliamp-hours (mAh) or watt-hours (Wh). A typical phone battery is around 3,000 to 5,000 mAh. A power bank never delivers its full rated capacity, because some energy is lost converting voltage, so expect to get roughly 60 to 70 percent of the stated figure.

Power bank capacity Rough phone charges

5,000 mAh About 1

10,000 mAh About 1.5 to 2

20,000 mAh About 3 to 4

These numbers are approximate and depend on your phone.

Other things to check

• Ports and speed. USB-C with fast charging support is the current standard. Check the output matches your devices.
• Pass-through charging. Lets you charge the bank and a device at the same time.
• Weight and size. Bigger banks weigh more; carry what you will actually bring.
• Safety certifications. Buy from a known brand with protection against overheating and overcharging. Avoid unknown, very cheap units.
• Travel rules. Most airlines require power banks in carry-on bags, with limits on capacity.

Keep them ready

Charge your power bank every few months, since lithium batteries slowly lose charge in storage. Store them at moderate temperatures, because cold reduces performance and heat shortens life. Keep a short cable for each device you use.

Stretch your phone battery

Turn on low-power mode, lower the brightness, close unused apps and use airplane mode when you do not need a signal. Text instead of calling.

Next step

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