Five year old alkalines leak, and the flashlight spring turns green
Plus the second tornado peak that hits the South every October.
Issue #068 Monday, October 26, 2026 Emergency Gear
Alkaline batteries leak in storage, and the acid creeps up the spring and eats the contacts. The light looks perfect sitting in the bin.
Today’s Skill
Green crust in the battery tube
Open every flashlight, headlamp, and weather radio you own. If you see white powder or green crust on the spring, scrub it with a cotton swab and a little vinegar, then dry it fully. Load fresh cells and run each light for ten minutes straight. Weak ones dim fast. Store spare batteries loose in a box, never inside gear that sits for months.
On The Radar
October’s second tornado peak
The South and lower Midwest get a second round of tornado weather each fall, and October storms often come after dark when nobody is watching the sky. Pick your interior room on the lowest floor now. Park shoes, a flashlight, and bike helmets inside it. Set your weather radio to your county and test the alert tone. A phone alert is backup, not the plan.
The Drill
Shoes on, door shut, under five minutes
Tonight, call it out cold. Everyone moves to the interior room with shoes on, flashlight in hand, and the door closed behind them. Time it. If anyone takes more than five minutes, find out what slowed them down and fix it now. Run it once more this week with the lights off.
Ready beats lucky.
- Survival Rise
P.S. Tomorrow: the one pantry item that quietly fails first in a cold garage.