There was a wake-up call this week, a call to all who live on the Gulf and East coasts of the United States.
It came in the form of a sub-tropical storm, Andrea, kicking the 2007 hurricane season off to an early start
so far it's impacted the East Coast from North Carolina to Florida, with strong winds, high waves and devastating beach erosion, but hasn't really helped the areas in the Southeast that have been suffering with fires caused by the insidious drought affecting the areas.
We breathed a sigh of relief when it weakened yesterday but now they say it could strengthen again
I know it won't affect us down here in South Florida but it certainly was a reminder that Hurricane season starts in less than a month.
Guess this would be a good time to go over your hurricane plans and check out your supplies I thought to myself, so off I went into my extra room, where I keep everything, to do just that
. Batteries, I will need quite a few more, mostly D size, large hurricane candles, maybe another one or two, food, I still have plenty of canned goods but I checked the dates on them and had to throw a few out. Now what else will I need? Water of course, I will start filling my empty seltzer and water bottles with filtered water from my sink and freeze them as well as putting ice in Ziplocs, storing them in the freezer as well
I have my flashlights and lanterns, my battery powered small TV set, my new portable DVD player and two of the best items of all, my
O2 Cool 10 Inch Indoor/Outdoor Battery Operated Fans
What a life saver these fans were when we lost our power for 3 days after Katrina swept through on her way to ravage New Orleans, then, just a month later when we were hit by Wilma
again losing our electricity for a few days. It really helps during those hot sweltering months to have a fan to help keep your cool when there is no Air Conditioning to do that for you
I came upon this fan 2 years ago in Bed Bath and Beyond when there was the threat of a storm brewing out in the far Atlantic and I was out shopping for supplies. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the packaging
A fan that runs on batteries, what a concept I thought and what a great addition to any hurricane or emergency planning kit. I bought one just to see how powerful it was and how well it worked. I was so impressed I went back to the store for another
By that time there were just a few left
People in Miami certainly found out about this great gadget rather quickly.
How Does It Work
This is a 10 inch fan so it's not too tiny and will cool off two people if they are near one another. The fan opens easily just pull up the handle and separate the top from the base
The top has the fan in it and the base is where you put the 8 D cell alkaline batteries
The base also acts as a stand. There is also convenient handle with a hook to use if you want to hang it up. There are two settings with a switch on the front, just slide it to the low, high or off position. It couldn't be any easier to use.
This cool little lifesaver can be used indoors or out, just put the batteries in the convenient spaces provided which has a diagram showing the direction to place them,
then snap the cover in place and you are in business
.Lightweight, the fan is plastic, it folds easily for storage into a nice little flat package weighing less than 3 lbs without the batteries, which you should remove before storing nor packing
.I just realized I wasted 8 batteries by leaving them in the fan when I put it away after the last time I used it and just had to throw them away
.I'll never do that again.
This
O2 Cool 10 Inch Indoor/Outdoor Battery Operated Fan is not only a perfect addition to any Storm or emergency kits but makes a great camping addition for those folks who rough it but want a little cool air when the heat takes over
you can use it on a boat or RV and, with an adaptor cord, it can help cool you off when your Air conditioning isn't doing a great job on those really hot humid days of summer. Use it on your patio too if you are entertaining and want a few cool breezes for yourself and your guests.
The adapter doesn't come with this fan but you can send away for one with the order form that comes in the box
I found though that an adapter I already had for another appliance fits this fan so I never had to order another.
They say you can get 24 hour continuous use with those 8 D-cells, so that's good but it does require you stock up on batteries
I always buy mine when they are on sale or at Costco
as far as I'm concerned you can never have too many batteries or hurricane supplies to help you keep your cool when there is turmoil all around you.
Thanks to the
O2 Cool 10 Inch Indoor/Outdoor Battery Operated Fan keeping my cool is no longer a big issue in an emergency...it certainly won't replace the power of an A.C but it certainly makes life a bit more comfortable so you can deal with other issues.
I paid $17.99 for this fan...Last year I saw one model selling with an adapter for $21.99....the batteries are not included
Update: the fan can be found on Amazon and Target.com selling for $18.99 with the adaptor...Thanks, Tennis Player for the info
Many thanks to
gamblin_man for finding this fan in the database for me