Harvey, Irma, Maria… sounds like the names of three nice folks you might enjoy meeting and having a cup of coffee with, right?
Maybe someday. But for now, those names are linked with three of the most destructive natural disasters to strike the continental United States and Puerto Rico in years.
Then toss in angry wildfires that have engulfed huge areas of land in many states out West.
We’re now talking about a series of unprecedented weather-related disasters in recent weeks. They’ve caused many deaths and extensive property damage. And they have shut down power for millions of homeowners.
Extreme Weather and Reckless Threats Have Us on Edge
Many of those people affected by the storms and fires are just now getting their lives back to normal. Others who lost loved ones and homes will need years to grieve and rebuild.
And if that isn’t enough, Americans have been living with another unsettling thought lately. At any moment, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un might follow through with one of his horrendous threats.
Will he fire a nuclear missile toward one of our allies? Or one of our territories, such as Guam? Or one of our isolated states, like Hawaii? Or the U.S. mainland?
If so, there could be destruction and chaos like we’ve never seen. Our lives would turn upside-down.
There has never been a better time in our country’s history to be as prepared as possible for a life-changing disaster.
Recent Disasters Threaten the Electric Grid
Right now there are millions of people in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and plenty of states out West who all wish they had been ready. Millions were left without power for days — sometimes weeks — on end.
Hurricane Harvey brought massive amounts of flooding to southeastern Texas and left more than 300,000 without power.
Extensive power outages fueled much of the losses experienced by Hurricane Irma.
Irma left 6.2 million homes in Florida without power. That’s over 60% of the entire state. Several counties remained without power for an average of six days. One million Puerto Ricans were also without electricity after this storm passed through.
When Hurricane Maria hit, some 80,000 people on the island were still waiting for power to be restored.
According to a CNN news report released recently, 3 million Puerto Ricans were still without power after Maria a full month after the hurricane hit. It will be months before some people have power again.
Back on the mainland, Western states have experienced what is being called “one of the worst fire seasons we’ve ever seen” by Business Insider. At one point, nearly 2 million acres of land were in flames at the same time. These fires left nearly 100,000 people without power.
Gas Generators Leave Many Feeling Empty
Trying to restore power in the sweltering heat of southeastern Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and many Western states proved to be a time-consuming task.
Those who owned gas-powered generators were confident. They believed they could handle the situation better than others. But many of them were in for a rude awakening.
At the peak of Irma, nearly 65%of Florida’s gas stations were out of fuel in the Miami-Dade area, the most populous part of the state.
And as it turned out, the storms and fires made it impossible for the delivery of gasoline to some areas for an extended period of time. Even when it became available, there was price gouging. It kept many from getting the gas they needed.
One Puerto Rico citizen said, “We did go buy a generator, but there is little gas and we can only use it a few hours a day.”
Don’t Feel Powerless — Go Solar
Those who owned solar-powered generators were in much better shape.
They weren’t dependent on expensive and often unavailable gasoline. And they were spared the noise and fumes of generators that run on gas.
Solar generators are a smart choice because they produce an endless supply of lifesaving electricity when you need it most. Our top recommendation in portable solar generators is the Patriot Power Generator 1500.
It’s a breakthrough new device that generates up to 1,500 continuous watts of clean, quiet and FREE renewable power.
That’s enough to power lights for safety and comfort, your computer, TV or cellphone. Even small appliances like a small freezer or critical medical device that will sustain your family during a power outage.
