Stephanie Adkins: How Jackery Changed My Life During Florida Storms

The Calm Before the Storm

Stephanie Adkins remembers simpler times in Palatka, Florida - when hurricane season meant stocking up on canned goods and hoping for the best. "We'd wait it out with flashlights and battery-powered radios," she recalls. "Like everyone else, we just accepted that losing power meant losing comfort, safety, even basic necessities."

Now, as a teacher's aide and asthma sufferer, those memories feel like relics of a more vulnerable past.

The Breaking Point

The turning point came during a five-day blackout. "Transformers kept exploding," Stephanie says, her voice tightening at the memory. "No AC in Florida, heat is dangerous when you have asthma. No power means no water pump - we couldn't even flush toilets properly."

She describes the surreal experience of navigating her darkened home by flashlight, watching food spoil, and rationing her phone battery like a lifeline. "You realize how fragile modern life is when the power goes out. And in Florida, it's not if, but when."

A New Kind of Security

Everything changed when the Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus entered her life. "At first I didn't understand how this compact unit could power my home," Stephanie admits. "Then the transfer switch kicked in during our first test outage - my TV didn't even flicker."

The difference wasn't just technical; it was emotional. "For the first time in years, I didn't feel that knot in my stomach when storm warnings came on."

The Quiet Revolution

What Stephanie values most isn't the specs, but the normalcy it preserves:

• Health protected: “My breathing machine stays running no matter what."
• Dignity maintained:  "Real toilets, real showers - these aren't luxuries."
• Peace preserved:  "I can actually sleep through storms now instead of worrying."

She contrasts this with neighbors' gas generators: "The constant roar, the fumes - it defeats the purpose of riding out a storm safely indoors."

Beyond Survival

The system has changed how Stephanie prepares for hurricane season. "Now I think about which books to read during outages, not which medications to stockpile," she says with a quiet laugh. "That's progress."

She's become the calm center during neighborhood emergencies. "When the power fails, my house becomes the place where phones get charged and refrigerated medicine stays safe."

A New Normal

As we talk, a thunderstorm rumbles outside Stephanie's window. She doesn't flinch. "Before Jackery, this would have me checking weather radar every five minutes," she admits. "Now? It's just rain."

Her story isn't about surviving disasters, but reclaiming the ordinary - the simple assurance that lights will stay on, machines will keep running, and life will continue uninterrupted.

"People don't realize how much fear they carry until it's gone," Stephanie reflects. "That's what this system gave me - not just power, but the freedom to stop being afraid." In hurricane country, that kind of peace might be the most valuable commodity of all.