Power outages aren’t rare. Many U.S. homes lose power at least once a year, and extreme weather is making them longer and more frequent.  Most people think they’re prepared, but that illusion fades fast when the power cuts. The flashlight batteries are dead, the phone dies within hours, and that electric stove everyone depends on is just a cold box.  Real preparedness means keeping simple, reliable tools that never fail. Here are 11 of them, proven to work when everything else stops....