Use your flashlight as a 'candle'.

You can use a normal flashlight for uniform (although dim) lighting during a power cut at night. Emergency lights are better, ofcourse, but they are expensive and heavier too.
When we point our flashlight at something in the dark, its only spot-lights a small area
while the immediate surroundings are almost totally dark. In other words, we are 'blind' about the rest of the room where the flashlight isn't pointing. To look around a room, we have to move the light around a lot. It would be far easier to find our way around if there was uniform light all around the room!
Here's a tip: point your flashlight straight up at your light-coloured (or white) ceiling! Now take a few moments to look around: the light in the room is uniform, like a candle, and that makes it easier to see and walk around!
I borrowed this tip from photography: photographers often use light from a flash unit bounced off ceilings and walls for spread-out, soft light.

This is what I do: secure the flashlight in a makeshift stand. I can easily carry this around and place it anywhere on a flat surface. Works nicely for me. While this may not be a total substitute for an emergency light, it works far better than pointing it straight at objects. Please try it! :-)
Update: Finally, a use for those bamboo pieces!