My mom always told me..

Growing up in the south sometimes severe weather is just second nature. Hurricanes, tornadoes, extreme hail, you name it pretty much other than blizzards or earthquakes it happens. Though I do not remember hurricanes being anything like they have been the last few years tornadoes are usually my big fear. My mom swears by weather radios and with the power outages I have experienced over the last year I'm starting to become a believer myself.

Over the summer at the height of tornado season we lost power several times but one week we actually lost power for almost three days. It was hot and I had to find an emergency home for the items in my freezer that survived that long. The worst part is doing homework by candlelight is not fun especially when its already hot in the house the candles just make it ten times worst. The big security problem though is not knowing at all whats going on and the fact that my cell phone started going dead after the first night and we ran out of batteries for the flash light as well. If it had been a real weather emergency and not just a blackout we would have been in trouble.

I have been looking for the perfect weather radio for some time that does not cost a fortune and the American Red Cross FR400 Eton Emergency Radio sold by the Discovery Store fits the bill perfectly. Part weather radio, part flash light, part FM radio its really a life saver when it comes to providing you with a real link to the outside world during emergencies. Not to mention that you don't need any batteries as the entire radio is crank powered. A little over a minute's worth of cranking will run the Eton FR400 from 30 up to an hour depending on what features your using. The Red Cross FR400 has one very unique feature though that really got my attention. I am new to weather radios but every weather radio I have ever seen includes the standard FM radio channels, the weather radio part, and sometimes a flash light but the Eton FR400 does so much more.

The Eton FR400 really sets itself apart from the other weather radios I have seen as it also includes a emergency siren or most importantly it solves my problem with my cell phone. Crank your radio up, hook up the cell phone attachments and this little radio does something that I think is down right amazing... it will charge your cell phone too! When you've gone several days without power and your phone line is dependent on the Internet you will find this option truly a lifesaver no matter what the emergency. Though I highly recommend this for anyone on your holiday list its especially nice for the boys on your list that you just have no idea what to buy them. Just tell them it will charge their cell phones and believe me they will be telling all their friends about it!

The Discovery Store has some of the coolest gift options for everyone on your list. You can actually visit their holiday catalog on the Discovery Store website!