Canada is well known for it’s beautiful landscapes, hockey, Tim Horton’s and intense cold. If you’re in Quebec, you might not even be able to read this right now because you might not even have power restored to you after the recent ice storm.
If you’ve grown up in Canada or have been living there for quite some time, you probably have an emergency kit for this exact kind of occasion, when the power goes out and the temperature is dropping. Here’s a couple of things that you should certainly have in your emergency kit if you don't already:
- Heat Source: Cold is brutal on the body. It can affect your ability to move and think rationally about what you need to do to take care of yourself. Make sure you have plenty of blankets, warm clothes, firewood (if you have a chimney), and fuel for a properly vented gas-powered heater.
- Food and Water: When the weather gets nasty, you’re not going to want to have to run to the store or a shop to grab a bite to eat. As a matter of fact, if the power goes out, many stores won’t even be open, so you’ll want to stockpile some easy to eat things at home. Canned foods, and other types of preserved foods are an obvious choice to make sure you don’t go hungry if you’re stuck at home for a few days. Be sure to also stock up on water enough to last you and your family enough for 3-5 days depending on where you live. If it gets cold enough, you don’t want to depend on a water line not freezing as your only source of water.
- Something to do: The worst thing that can happen when the power is off for multiple days is that you begin to go stir crazy. Be sure to have some games, books, and entertainment available to keep your mind off of the cabin fever.
- Hygiene: Hygiene? One of the last things people typically think about in “survival” situations is taking care of themselves at a basic level. If the power’s off most people won’t even think about taking a shower until it comes back on if their hot water heater is an electric one. Eccotemp makes a line of portable hot water heaters that are perfect for emergency situations when the power is out. They connect directly to a standard propane tank to heat water quickly and efficiently so that you can knock off the cold no matter where you are. Be sure to use these in a well-ventilated area, and don’t forget to take precautions so that it (or your pipes) don’t freeze when you’re done. You can all of Eccotemp’s portable water heaters here.