Many people think that being prepared for a disaster is being paranoid and an extreme measure which is not required. Such people need to think again considering the unpredictability of the weather today and the common occurrences of natural disasters all over the world. Many people in developed countries have a false sense of security and feel that power cannot fail and that their devices will always work. Many people have changed their opinions after the long blackouts they experienced in their city.

Nowadays with TV and Internet connections hardly anyone thinks about the importance of a radio. Still almost everybody has one, and radio still remains one of the most used devices in the world. So why do you need a radio? Is it only for entertainment? Actually many lives have been saved in the past due to the timely warnings over the radio. Fortunately now, there are quite a few, weather radio stations, apart from your usual AM and FM stations. These weather stations broadcast constant updates of the weather of your local area and also give warnings of impending natural disasters which are expected to happen in an area. Many lives have been saved by the timely warnings of approaching tornadoes. Many people have been able to leave the area in time in cases of bush fires and approaching hurricanes. Radio transmission is through air waves and therefore they are the most dependable form of communication in extreme weather conditions.

Now picture this scenario, you are in your home and suddenly the power has gone off and the weather outside has taken a turn for the worst. You reach for your radio and find the batteries are dead and you cannot go out in this weather to the store to get a fresh supply. You are stuck without having any access to any information about the weather. In such situations the emergency crank radio is of immense help.

As the name suggests this device has a cranking mechanism, which is used to produce power for itself. You might remember how a dynamo is able to power the headlamp in your bicycle when you are pedaling. The emergency crank radio works on the same principle and instead of a pedal there is a cranking handle which has to be turned in a clockwise direction to produce power. The power generated is stored in a rechargeable battery which powers the radio. Having such a radio, you are not dependent on any power source and can work the radio when you most need it. You can now hear the vital weather and news updates when all other devices have failed.

Many models of the emergency crank radio come equipped with a flashlight and also a cell phone charger. Whenever the power goes out the one thing you need immediately is light. So you can depend on this radio to provide you with light as well, with a few cranks of the handle. The cell phone charger is another great utility to have when you are left without power and your cell phone batteries need to be recharged.