Mountain Views News Saturday, January 3, 2026 


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges

[Nyerges is an educator and author. His many books canbe seen at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.] 

HOW TO PREPARE FOR EMERGENCY POWER 

In October, Allen Wolff presented Sierra Madre CERT organization’s final talk of 
the year, “Emergency Power.” 
Wolff began by asking the audience in the Hart Building, where the CERT meetings are alwaysheld, “What do you need in order to prepare for power outages?” He then proceeded to share his 
PowerPoint presentation, explaining each aspect of home power production. 

Wolff emphasized that he was not selling anything, nor was he recommending any of the products 
he showed. He was simply showing what was available on the market. 

The outline included a discussion of what is energy, your power needs, phone charging, various 
power sources, inverters, batteries, and commentary on solar. 

Most of us take electricity for granted, so we’re somewhat lost when the power goes out. Wolff 
pointed out that when there is a power outage, your copper land line phones won’t work unless 
you have an old-style rotary or touchtone phone. Your AC clocks, radios, TVs, and gas stoves with 
electric lighters won’t work either. There would be no Wi-Fi. 

Wolff presented the necessary data from the perspective of needs: Low power needs include a cell 
phone charger and portable radio. Medium Low needs include a laptop, lamps, and some medical 
appliances. Medium High needs include the refrigerator and fans. High Needs would be your 
whole house. 

For power to charge your phone, Wolff showed the FosPower Emergency Weather Radio, which 
is powered by batteries, or solar panels, or by cranking. It costs about $35 from Amazon. There 
is also the Solar Charger, 38800 mAh Portable Solar Power Bank for all cell phones, at about $24. 

For medium low power, Wolff showed the BESTEK 300W Power Inverter, which produces 110V 
AC from one’s car power port or cigarette lighter socket, which is 12V DC. Your car might have a 
USB port or you can purchase a device that plugs into the power port socket and provides 5 Volt 
USB for charging phones. In fact, lots of devices can be plugged into the car’s cigarette lighter, making 
your car a power source, as long as the engine is on. 

By the way, if you’re not an electrician, don’t let the new terminology throw you. Like any field, you 
should learn some of the basic terms. For example, our households run from 110 volts of Alternating 
Current (110V AC), and your car, and some solar panels systems, produce 12 volts of Direct 
Current (12V DC). An inverter is the necessary device that converts the electricity produced from 
the sun, your car, or a windmill, to a form that most appliances need, and most households use. 

Wolff discussed how it’s possible to power medical devices with batteries, or backup batteries. 

Wolff introduced the audience to inverters, which you must have if you’re going to put together 
your own power system to supply 110 VAC. There are two types of inverters. The modified sine 
wave type, which is cheaper and OK for general use. Also, there is the pure sine wave inverter, more 
expensive and needed for more delicate equipment, such as some medical devices and refrigerators. 

Wolff showed several available inverter models, as well as a chart showing the best sort of inverter 
to have for various devices. Pure sine wave inverters are suitable for all purposes, but modified sine 
wave inverters are not. You can see this yourself if you go to his site. 

Generators were also discussed which can power the house, such as the Champion Dual Fuel, 
which can use gasoline or propane. A more expensive generator is the DuroMax XP13000HXT,
for about $2000 from Amazon which is a tri-power capable of using gasoline, propane or natural 
gas. This led to a discussion about extension cords, and how you should get the heaviest grade 
you can. A chart was shown that compares the current you need to supply with the length of the 
extension cord and the size of the wire you will need. Or you might consider a permanent house 
generator, the Generac Guardian 26kW generator for about $7000 that runs on natural gas. 

Then he discussed batteries, and how car batteries are not ideal for solar systems because they are 
not tolerant of deep discharge and recharge cycles. There are many types of batteries that can be 
purchased, but for storing power which comes from the sun, he recommends marine deep-cycle 
batteries, golf cart, or AGM batteries. In fact, Wolff had a lot to say about batteries, such as how 
they should always be charged outside or in well ventilated areas, that batteries only last from 3 to 
6 years, and much more. Those are the benefits of attending CERT meetings where you can pick 
up all these details that are learned by experience. 

There are, in other words, lots of individual components to prepare to have home power after a 
blackout. 

To tie all the points together, Wolff showed the relationship between the components of a home solar 
power system. The panels that you see on the roofs are capable of generating hundreds of volts 
and are required to be shut down (Rapid Shutdown) when Edison power is lost in order to protect 
firefighters from electrocution. You may not be able to count on roof solar during an outage. Solar 
panels are available that produce 18 volts and when used with a charge controller can charge 
12-volt batteries. Then, when you use the power from the charged batteries, it flows through the 
inverter, converting 12V DC to the 110V AC that your household items use.

 Wolff gave some examples of what a system might look like, showing products that anyone can 
buy from Amazon. For example, he showed examples of flexible solar panels. 

The presentation included lots of personal anecdotes, and safety tips, and it was far better than 
reading a book. Allen Wolff ’s PowerPoint presentation can be viewed at www.kc7o.com/files/ 
power.pdf. 

To follow activities of the Sierra Madre CERT organization, go to Sierra Madre Emergency Organizations 
• Index page 

You can simply Google “Sierra Madre CERT” to find more information about this organization. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com 
LONDI – THE QUIET BEAUTY 

Love lyLon di, 
age 6, 
has been 
overlooked 
far 
too long!
She’s very 

shy and independent—not a lap cat, 
not even touchable—but that doesn’t 
mean she can’t have a loving home. 
Her joys are simple: birdwatching at 
the window, stretching in a sunny spot, playing quietly 
on her own, and nibbling cat treats. She’s healthy and 
would do best as the only pet in a calm, patient home. 
Londi will also need gentle carrier training so she can 
feel secure for any needed vet visits. 
Londi may always want to be alone, but she would be no 
trouble. She would still long for safety and a place to call 
her own, and to be cherished. Could you be the one to 
give this quiet beauty her chance? Learn more at https://
www.lifelineforpets.org/londi.html or use the qr code. 


Pet of the Week 

Dorito is a lovable, larger-than-life LabradorRetriever mix at Pasadena Humane, who is justover a year old. Despite a rough start as a stray,
Dorito hasn’t lost his joyful spirit. He’s goofy,
affectionate, and absolutely adores playtime

– especially chasing balls and exploring withhis big nose. He’s also smart, responsive, easilydirected with a good treat, and sweetly self-
soothes once he’s given the chance to slowdown. 
Because Dorito feels everything big, he can getoverstimulated and will thrive in a low-traffic 
home with a confident handler who can helphim take breaks, build calm routines, andkeep life balanced. 
He’d do best as the only dog and with space to burn off his puppy-like energy. If yourNew Year’s resolution is to welcome more joy, laughter, love, and maybe a few morewalks, Dorito is ready for a fresh start by your side! 

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip,
and age-appropriate vaccines. 

Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. View photos ofadoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org. 

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to carefor your pet.

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters byphone calls or email.