As New York, New Jersey, and other nearby states recover from Hurricane Sandy, there’s a lot of emphasis placed on waiting for large utility companies to get power back to areas that have lost it. And while there are reports that this is happening rapidly in some places, that’s not the case in others.
A good interim solution is to get hand-held power generators to residents in areas like Lower Manhattan and Staten Island. The kind of device I’m thinking of is called a Rally Manufacturing 8 in 1 Power Generator.
A blog on such devices described it like this:
The Rally 8 in 1 Power Source and Jumpstart Unit is one of the most versatile portable jumpstart and power source units. The on-board pull handle generator ensures you will never be without power. Now you can take 140 watt of AC/DC power anywhere – perfect for roadside emergencies, power outages, camping and more. The handy design includes: a jump starter with cables; 140 watt power inverter with AC outlet; USB port for operating and recharging iPods, cell phones, digital cameras and MP3 players; LED work light with emergency flasher; 260PSI air compressor with pressure gauge; 12 volt outlet and more. Recharges with AC current, 12 volt DC adapter or on-board pull-handle generator.
The Rally Manufacturing 8 in 1 Power Generator is just $89 and is normally sold at Home Depot stores. There are two in Manhattan alone, and at 980 3rd Avenue and one at 40 West 23rd Street. Given the situation, you can’t just order this online – someone has to go into the store itself. But the best thing would be for Rally to make about 1,000 of these and for a company or companies and FEMA to order them, and then use the National Guard to get them where they’re needed.
Another hand-held generator is made by Stanley, and is the Stanley 2250 Watt Portable Hand-Held Generator with 25ft. Cord. At $229, this is a bit more expensive, but it can take the load off one provider of these kinds of power sources.
The job now is to distribute this blog post and let folks know they do have some immediate options and companies and people have another way they can held the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Stay tuned.
Karen A. Brown