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With the 7 p.m. update, Tropical Storm Nicholas had winds of 70 miles per hour and is traveling to the NNE at 12 miles per As of 6:30am, the heaviest rain associated with Tropical Storm Nicholas is moving to the northeast as the center of the storm continues to move in that direction.

Flash flood warnings continue to in place for creeks and tributaries nearest the west side of Galveston Bay and along Clear Creek from the west side of I-45 to Nassau Bay and to where it empties into Galveston Bay.

5 Ways To Keep Your Phone Charged During a Power Outage

Battery life on our phone is always depleting, but thankfully, with electricity, we can keep them alive! What do we do, then, when there is a power outage and we’re low on our battery life? First, we have a slight moment of panic, but then, we remember the below options to keep it going!

1. Laptop or Portable Charger

The most obvious of them all — the portable charger or laptop method. Grab your charging wire and any necessary adapters so you can use the power from your other devices to charge your phone.

2. Your Car

Hop into your car and get chargin’! If your car has a USB adapter, then plug it in and charge away! If your car doesn’t have a USB built in, you can purchase a power inverter that goes right into your 12V port which can provide an outlet and, depending on the model, USBs to charge multiple devices at once. Amazon has plenty to choose from, like this one!

3. Hand Crank Power

A hand crank portable charger is definitely a more unique approach to getting a charge on your phone, but certainly a nifty gadget that gets the job done. By rotating the crank, you are able to generate energy for a charge. In the video below, they say that for their particular model, if you crank for 1 minute, it can provide about 4 minutes of talk time on your phone. Definitely a gadget worth keeping in the emergency kit!

4. Use Your Landline

In an emergency, you can apparently tap into your land line to power up your cellphone. Watch the video below and see if your land line has what it takes to start a charge! Though the setup is a little advanced, they say that all you need is a phone cord, 5 volt voltage regulator and a USB connector cable. The video’s creator notes that this is intended solely for emergencies and to be aware of local laws regarding phone lines in your area before attempting this hack.

5. Fire-Side Charger

And perhaps the most abstract of them all, if you get the BioLite CampStove 1 Wood Burning and USB Charging Camping Stove, you can power up your phone with fire, all while cooking. In the video below, the user demonstrates using twigs to start up the fire, where he is then able sustain a charge on his phone and boil water – it gets the job done!