Emergency tech for disaster preparation
Aside from the obvious indispensables like food, water, pets, and pictures, we've rounded up a list of tech items you may want to include in your emergency kit. The essential techcessories are nondigital, human-powered items like hand-cranked flashlights and radios, but a battery pack for your phone or an all-terrain speaker may come in handy if you have extra room. Read on!
Emergency tech for disaster preparation
Booq Boa Squeeze backpack
What bag you choose to set aside for a quick exit in case of emergency depends on the items inside. In many cases, a computer case like the Booq Boa Squeeze backpack actually makes a viable go bag thanks to its organized storage pockets and rugged ballistic nylon outer layer.
A padded laptop compartment inside protects your gear, and the extra elastic pockets on the outside are perfect for storing water bottles and other items.
Joby GorillaTorch
Joby GorillaTorch
If you're having a hard time finding a flashlight in the city, check your local RadioShack for the Joby GorillaTorch.
Just like its flexible tripod cousin, the GorillaTorch features bendable legs that let you attach it to a phone, a bag, or even your head, as shown on the model above.
It's also fully rechargeable by USB or AC adapter, can provide up to 80 hours of continuous illumination, and can flash in six light modes including an emergency strobe.
Iomega eGo BlackBelt Mac Edition (1TB)
Iomega eGo BlackBelt Mac Edition (1TB)
Backing up your hard drive onto an external storage device is smart practice in general, but a rugged HDD like the Iomega eGo BlackBelt ensures the safety of the data you store on it.
Iomega also makes a PC-friendly version, and you may even consider doing a redundant backup of your most crucial files onto something like the LaCie IamaKey that stays on your keychain.
Flashlight app for iOS devices
Flashlight app for iOS devices
The Brightest Flashlight app is free for iOS and Android devices and automatically puts your screen, camera flash LED, and notification LEDs at their maximum settings.
Still not sold? It earned a four-star rating in our Download.com editor's review, with over 80,000 downloads.
Mophie Juice Pack Air
Mophie Juice Pack Air
Now might be a good time to invest $80 in a battery pack like the Mophie Juice Pack Air for the iPhone 4. The case only adds an extra 2.3 ounces to the weight of your phone and effectively doubles the battery life.
If you have a non-iOS phone, there's also the Mugen Power Extended Battery for the HTC Evo.
Grace Digital Audio Eco Pod
Grace Digital Audio Eco Pod
If you still have cellular service during Irene or whatever disaster you've packed for, the Grace Digital Eco Pod all-terrain speaker can float and keeps out up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes with no leakage.
The Eco Pod comes with Grace's Sonar Premium Waterproof Headphones, which let you talk on the phone without taking it out the case.
Victorinox Slim with Blades
Victorinox Slim with Blades
The Victorinox Swiss Army Slim was designed with the frequent traveler in mind, but the pocket knife and multitool scissor set is not to be forgotten from your go bag, either.
We specifically endorse the Slim series for their waterproof and shock-resistant housings and the included 256GB USB flash drive with a double USB and eSATA plug interface.
Finally, a small 96x48-pixel monochrome display on the side shows storage details and gives the option to personalize the text.