Electricity out? Crank up this radio's power

The first time that nasty spring weather knocked out power at our house and tornado sirens sent us scurrying to the basement, we had to stop along the way to gather up our storm supplies. Among the items we needed were a flashlight (preferably one with working batteries), a weather radio (ditto on the batteries) and our cell phones (hopefully with a full charge). The next time bad weather moves in, we'll be better prepared with the Rover, one of several new multipurpose emergency gadgets from Eton Corp. The Rover combines an LED flashlight with a radio that has AM, FM and weather bands. A ring around the radio dial has seven slots that are pre-tuned to the each of the NOAA weather channels used across the country. You can tune in your favorite local AM or FM station, then pop back and forth between it and weather alerts for your region. But the Rover's best feature is its power source: you. It has a pop-out hand crank that recharges the permanent battery inside.