Be Prepared

So yesterday it was the COLDEST day of 2020, so far, and at 432 pm the power went out. In the next 1/2 hour or so it was kind of peaceful with absolutely on noise at all, no humming, no TV or ticking nothing. THEN it starts to set in, now what? The furnace will not work, the heat lamps will not be on, the water will not flow and no lights. Thankfully it was still halfa**ed light out, so off I go to make sure it's not just our place, pole is on, main line looks good. Yep it's off everywhere so its time to get into survival mode. Grab the flashlights, candles and batteries, just like camping. we also have a gas stove so supper is started. It's dark now so not to rush and get into a panic as we have wood heat as stand by also and supper is ready.  The nebour drops by in kind of a panic as they are all set up with heat lamps for the new born animals and even have a generator but no key, this is not good. Off we go to grab my little 2000 watt generator for them, I even forgot the hiding place for a quick trip around the yard, found it in the last place we looked ( of course why look further right HA HA HA) right next to our old key cabinet from the shop. Low and behold there was a spare set of keys for their  generator and off they go VERY happy to be up and running again with some form of power. Meanwhile it is starting to chill a little in the house, not bad but noticeable. The power came back on around 640 ish here , sooner in town and later in other parts. SO now its clean up the candles and do a supply list for restocking. The mind does pay games at times like this, do we have enough to last us until the power comes back ? Food, gas, water and HEAT all cross the mind and the list starts to become quite long. Remember the ice storm of of 1998 in the other part of Canada, it lasted for 6 days ish ( some places much longer ) that's a LONG time to be without power and supplies no matter who you are, we have become so dependent on "the system" to look after us that when something like a 2 hour power outage is a major hassle. So what can you do to be prepared? First do not panic, do the metal check list, shelter, water, food then non essentials like communication and transportation. Once you have the first 3 dealt with the rest will fall into place quickly. 

Shelter is the most important of them all, especially when it is cold and not just the coldest day but anytime it is cold enough to get hypothermia ( I know big word right there , proud moment ) and its below freezing for sure. Keep all the windows and doors closed, even in other parts of your home, door to other rooms should be closed as to preserve the heat in the main living area. If you have flash lights great use them sparingly as you really do not need to read in every corner of your house. If you have candles now would be a great time to light one in the center of the area that you and your family will be gathering, kitchen, living room or where ever it is, please make sure that the area you place the candle or candles is clear of all flammable material and that they are placed far enough away from other objects that could melt or catch fire as it is not the best way to stay warm while watching the fire department put out your fire. AND DO NOT LEAVE THEM UNATTENDED ... ( long story about that with one of our rents a few years ago) This is a major NO NO for all candles. The reason I like candles is that they also give off HEAT and it all helps, you can get led lights also but they do not give off any heat You do not need to check the fridge to see if the light will come as it will not and all you are doing is cooling the place down, only go into it for food that you are going to use. Gather blankets now as its easier to do before things cool off for sure. And it would also be a great time to get games out as it could be a little while before the distractions of technology are back up and running. You never know you might actually enjoy the family time.  

Water is the next on the list, if you have a stash of bottled water then have it handy, if not then its time to get water, for those in the towns and cities you should still have a decent supply for a little while and use that to fill kettles and a few spare pots and pans, I know it may sound funny but you never worry about not having water until you do not have water. This is a must do for sure, from drinking to cooking and even bathing, you need it.

Food is also a necessity and you should have enough to last a couple days for sure in your home. I know that if we had to go to the grocery store every day or 2 to shop then this could be an issue a lot sooner than one realizes and would be very detrimental to the youngest brother or sister when all the food is gone and they look like a good base for soup ( just kidding do not eat your siblings ) Gather what you may need to have at least 1 meal that you do not have to cook like PB&J sandwiches, you would be surprised at how long these last .

Communication and transportation are also important for today's way of life for sure, during this little BLACK OUT of 2020 ( its a thing ) we had no power so no heat, water or light BUT we still had Facebook ???  Our wifi has a battery back up , our laptops are on batteries and our pc is also on a back up power supply. SO in realty we could have shown what it was like to freeze to death while letting the world watch HA HA HA , but it was also nice to know that others in the area where in the same boat and that we had a link to the power company for updates all along. I am also a firm believer in the less than 1/2 tank fill it up and be happy type of guy so every vehicle is either full or more than 1/2 , this was an issue a couple years ago with the fires up north as people could not make the 4 hour drive south and ran out of fuel on the highway. Luckily there were a few good Samaritans   along the way with jockey tanks that helped along the way.

Hope this helps a little, I know it's not even close to what needs to be done , read between the lines and do what you need to do to survive eh. 

Be safe and be prepared