Wow, we have record breaking temperature today. I suspect that with this kind of extreme cold weather going, we might have power outages. I still remember, few years ago, we had a power outage which lasted 3 and a half days. It’s always better to be prepared. Toronto Hydro has a “Be Prepared” webpage that has all sort of info. They suggest that you should prepare the followings:
Food and Water:
Bottled water (4 litres per person per day)
Non-perishable, ready-to-eat foods
Manual can opener
Disposable plates, glasses and utensils
Basic Tools and Supplies:
Flashlights and fresh batteries
A wind-up or battery-operated radio
A corded telephone – or one that works without power; backup power source for mobile phones and tablets, e.g. car charger, power bank
Matches or lighters (in a waterproof container)
Basic tool kit: utility knife, pliers, screwdriver, duct tape, wrench
Garbage bags, aluminum foil, paper towels
Needle and thread
Pens and a pad of paper
Fire extinguisher
Signal flares, whistle (to attract attention, if needed)
Keep some cash on hand, as ATMs may not work in an emergency
For the full list of items, please visit this page http://www.torontohydro.com/sites/electricsystem/PowerOutages/Pages/beprepared.aspx.
Since we are using Rogers’ Home Phone service, they use cable lines to deliver phone service. When cable stops working, so does the phone. At these moments, a AAA battery powered phone charger would come in handy. Also, if you need an emergency radio, don’t use one of those cheap hand-crank ones. We bought a few before, no matter how hard you crank, it doesn’t last long.
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