When the lights go out or when an emergency is upon us, getting proper lighting back in order is one of the most essential tasks we will need to tackle. Whether it's a major storm, a car hitting an electric pole or something even larger, like a hurricane, tornado or major traffic accident, we need to be prepared with emergency lighting backup options. Here are some lighting choices for these specific situations:

Electrical Outages

When the lights go out, it's important to have some supplies on hand to light up our way around the house. First and foremost, some flashlights and extra batteries are needed. Most people have a flashlight around the house, but does it work? Or does it need new batteries? If the lights go out and you grab for your trusty flashlight and it doesn't go on, then what use is it? Always keep extra flashlights around the house, preferably one in each room, where you'll know where to find them if you're rummaging around in the dark looking for one. Also, keep extra batteries on hand. Twice a year, when you check your smoke detectors, make it a habit to check the batteries in your flashlights at the same time. Even better, get a hand crank flashlight. These flashlights don't need batteries, but are powered by cranking either a lever or a crank on the flashlight case. The lighting time provided by just a few minutes of cranking varies, but this type of flashlight is very handy to have in emergencies, as they are far more reliable than battery powered flashlights.

Roadside Emergencies

For roadside emergencies or accidents, there's a number of lighting options for different situations. If you're broken down on the side of the road, then flares might be called for, especially if you're stuck in a precarious position on the road, are near a bend or are in a high traffic or dangerous area of the road. Flares will let people know to slow down and watch out for a disabled vehicle. In an accident situation, flares are certainly needed. In addition, if you're just broken down on the side of the road, having a flashlight in the trunk of your vehicle will certainly come in handy.

Natural Disasters

Whether a tornado, hurricane, storm or other natural disaster is affecting your area, it's important to have emergency supplies. Flashlights will be one of the most important items you will need. You'll need light in order to get around your home and neighborhood. In a natural disaster, emergency lights play an especially crucial role. When a road is flooded or is in danger of flooding, one of the first things local authorities do is place a barricade with a flashing light on top to block vehicles from entering the area and to warn them of the danger. When a road is too dangerous to pass due to rock or mud slides, a barricade with a flashing light is used to keep vehicles away and to reroute traffic in another direction.