Maui County civil defense administrator Gen Iinuma is pleased with his recent personal purchase of an emergency radio that runs on human power — you crank a handle for the electricity to run the radio, as well as an included LED light and a cell-phone charger.

Last week's Hurricane Daniel threat was a reminder of the value of the new technologies. If you're tired of shopping for fresh batteries for lights and radios every time there's a hurricane alert, there is now a wide range of alternatives that can save you both time and batteries.

On the Web, but also in some local stores — it may take quite a bit of searching — shoppers can find a number of solutions to the battery problem.

The firm Eton makes a number of hand-crank radio models, sold under several different names including the company's own. Freeplay also makes some radio and light combinations, as does Kaito, Sony and other firms. They come in a range of looks, some with a boxy Hummer kind of style, others very portable-radio-looking, and some futuristic.

Generally, the cranking powers a rechargeable internal battery. The apparent standard is that half a minute of cranking provides enough juice for half an hour of radio or light.

Different models include just weather radio, or AM/FM, and some include shortwave frequencies. That can be useful, if your local radio stations are out, for picking up distant signals that might provide information in an emergency.

The radios can be filled with features, some including cell-phone charging. The good news is that this lets you get a call out if the cell network is still up in a disaster. The bad news is that a cell phone uses a lot more power than an LED light or radio, and you'll be doing a lot of cranking.

You can spend less than $20 or many times that much, depending on the features, style and quality you're looking for. If you're into satellite radio, companies are working on developing a hand-cranked radio that picks up the satellite broadcasts.

Most of the lighting alternatives are based on light-emitting diodes, which have an extremely long life and, in multiples, can provide bright light at low power. There are squeeze lights, crank lights and even shaken lights, which slide a magnet past a coil to charge a capacitor.

There are limits to all the technology — you could get tired of cranking every half hour — but if the alternative in a disaster is no light and no radio at all, the limits may seem acceptable.

If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766 or jant@honoluluadvertiser.com. Or call him at (808) 245-3074.