After the damage of Hurricane Irene has left millions of people without power, there are a number of people who are looking for their own portable solar generator. Knowing that the utility providers have a daunting task ahead of them to restore power to the residences and businesses that have been affected by the hurricane, individuals that are without electricity are cleaning out the flood waters and making preparations to keep the basics of their energy consumption satisfied. The purchase of a portable generator is the first step in turning the lights back on after the storm passed over. Goal Zero lights offer a low power draw that bring much needed security in times of disaster. As the category 3 hurricane was downgraded to a 2, a 1 and then a tropical storm as it passed from Virginia to New York and Massachusetts many people felt the strong winds and pounding rains that dropped a year’s worth of precipitation in a few short hours. Causing extensive damage as trees were downed and electricity was cut off by the weather; there were people who had the foresight to buy a generator prior to the storm hitting. But for millions more the scramble to restore power has some people looking for an alternative to waiting for the utility company to turn the lights back on. For many people that evacuated the major cities and left their home to escape the threat of the hurricane, the opportunity to purchase a portable solar generator while they were miles from the storm has enabled them to return with the resources to turn on a few lights and connect portable power to a well needed appliance. For millions of east coast residents the evacuations and warnings have preserved life, but now the work of cleaning up is a challenge that they face as they watch the waters recede and life returns to a sense of normalcy. We enjoyed the numerous comments shared on our Facebook page of the relief that Goal Zero was able to bring to the East Coast residents during the storm. You are in our thoughts. Tropical Storm Irene hit three days ago and yet the following is a table of power outages as of 1:00 p.m. August 30, 2011 (1700 GMT) issued by the Department of Energy. State| Customers without Power| Percent of customers without Power
-|---|---
Connecticut| 508,963| 32%
Delaware | 3,452| 1%
D.C. | 3,695| 2%
Maine| 93,995| 7%
Maryland| 268,038| 12%
Massachusetts| 216,889| 7%
New Hampshire| 31,438| 5%
New Jersey| 343,835| 10%
New York| 525,386| 7%
North Carolina| 147,347| 4%
Pennsylvania| 153,883| 3%
Rhode Island| 133,313| 31%
Vermont| 18,088| 5%
Virginia| 402,535| 13%
TOTAL| 2,850,857 people in the dark 3 days after the storm!