Monday December 13 2021

The first time I heard about the upcoming storm was five Mondays ago. The radio reminded listeners to prepare for the worst. And of course, I blissfully ignored them. I mean, the last three warnings they gave ended in beautiful sunny weather.

Fast forward to the next day, a rainy Tuesday. I started my morning routine as usual; brushed teeth, scrambled eggs, got dressed, and walked out the front door. The difference? This time I stepped right into an inch of water on the driveway.

As I looked up, I saw my neighbours scanning the street. They too were wondering what was happening…. And what was to come.

I drove to work, watching the water glide between passing cars. For some reason, none of us took the hints, we just kept to schedule.

Well, halfway through the day, my office building lost power (another hint). I called my wife and she told me they still had electricity. She said things were fine and the kids were watching Sesame Street.

While waiting at my desk for the lights to turn on, I glanced out the window. And that’s when it hit me: this “rain” wasn’t just a few dropsーit would be a destructive storm.

The siding of buildings across the street flew through the air. Cars honked, stopped in front of chairs and tables splayed all over the street, garbage whirling with the wind. A couple strolling down the sidewalk ducked under an awning as the rain changed from spitting to gushing.

I ran down the stairs, jumped in my car, and set out for home.

The water covering the street rose another inch while I was working. I switched on the radio, but could only catch a few words; “flooding,” “65 km/hr speeds,” “three injured.” Driving through the chaos felt like I was starring in a movie…. A movie I never signed up for.  

By the time I got home, my wife enveloped me in a hug. The power was now wiped out for the entire city. She handed me her phone, pointing out the battery level: 12%. I checked mine: 8%.

How was I going to check on my parents? My mother was in the middle of battling cancer and my father can barely walk without a cane. It’s not like either of them could walk through this weather, let alone get help if they needed it…

And we didn’t have anything prepared. No batteries, no canned food, no powerbanks…. nothing.

I felt the panic drop to my stomach. My hands shook. My vision blurred. My mouth went dry.

I never thought it would happen to me. But here was the storm. This was the moment that took me out of my comfortable bubble, pushing me to reality.

Then I heard a knock on the door.

One of our neighbours, suited in extreme rain gear, handed out a solar panel for me.

“This solar panel will charge your phones. I wanted to make sure you could contact your loved ones. I’m giving one to every household on our street. It may not be much, but it makes me feel safe.”

I thanked Jenine for her kindness and the wind sucked the door closed behind her.

Anticipation raced through me as my wife and I plugged her phone into the solar panel. Would it work? Would this be the answer? What if my Mother was stranded? What if my Dad was hurt?

Within seconds, her phone lit up with the charging symbol. It seemed to work even with all the clouds!

I immediately dialed my Mom's number. After what felt like a million rings, her voice sounded through the line. She and Dad were in the hospital, and the backup generator there was working perfectly. I took a deep breath. They were safe…. They were safe.

My family and I decided to hide in the living room, away from the windows and doors. The four of us huddled together on the couch... We’d wait it out together.

When I woke up hours later, it was quiet. I got up, and that’s when I saw the street: an uprooted tree lay in our front yard, water steamed down the roads, and garbage littered the ground.

The next day, the morning paper’s headline was:

“Massive storm surges through city leaving five dead, over twenty in critical care.” 

That could have been us. We survived, but it was a close call. So close that I decided to never be unprepared again. I stocked our pantries with canned foods, flashlights, batteries, and first aid supplies. I bought two more solar panel chargers and a solar powerbank to store the extra energy.

If it happened to me, it can happen to you.

After everything that happened, the savior of the day was my neighbour’s solar panel charger. It gave me access to my phone so I could contact my family, and emergency services if needed. Jenine was right, it did make me feel safe. Thanks to Voltzy Solar, I knew I could stay connected with the world, even in the worst times.

Voltzy Solar is a solar panel that charges your devices using the sun’s energy. You just plug your phone into the cable and right away your device gains power.

Thankfully, Voltzy Solar doesn’t just charge phones, it also powers iPads, tablets, e-readers, and Kindlesーanything that can connect to a USB port!

Think about it, the sun is a lot more reliable than the weather!

If you think these natural disasters won’t happen to you, you’re wrong. I’m proof of that. My rationalizing could’ve cost me our lives... If my neighbor didn’t give me a Voltzy Solar, I would’ve been disconnected from the world during an emergency.

Since then, I’ve used Voltzy Solar for a few trips, including hiking and biking! Now I always have my phone charged. It even charged my eReader on the beach! This versatile device is made to fit your lifestyle, but keep you connected during crises.

Emergencies are emergencies for a reason. We never know when they’ll happen.

Stay prepared and claim your exclusive offer with Voltzy now.