Emergency Preparedness
Preparing for an outage starts long before the outage happens
Most power outages will be over almost as soon as they begin, but some can last much longer. Outages are often are caused by factors beyond our control (adverse weather, motor vehicle accidents, animal contact, etc.) and can happen at any time. Taking the time to prepare in advance can greatly lessen the impact an outage may have on you.
Here are some steps your family can take to prepare now:
- Learn what to do before, during, and after a power outage.
- Build an emergency kit. Your family should be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.
- Create an emergency plan. Share it with your family so that everyone knows what to do and where to go in case of an emergency.
Creating an Emergency Kit
In an emergency you will need some basic supplies. You may need to get by without power or tap water. Be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. Make sure your kit is easy to carry and accessible to all members of your household.
Basic Emergency Kit Supplies
- Water – at least two litres of water per person per day.
- Non-perishable foods (canned food, energy bars, dried foods, etc.)
- Manual can-opener
- Wind-up or battery-powered flashlight
- Wind-up or battery-powered radio
- Extra Batteries
- First aid kit
- Extra keys to your car and house
- Cash
- A copy of your emergency plan and contact information
- Special items such as prescription medications, infant formula, equipment for people with disabilities or food, water and medication for your pets or service animal (personalize your kit according to your needs)
Creating an Emergency Plan
Every household needs an emergency plan. It will help you and your family know what to do in case of an emergency. To complete your emergency plan online, visit the ‘Make an emergency plan' page from the GetPrepared.ca website.
To fill out your home emergency plan, consider the following:
- Safe exits from home and neighborhood
- Meeting places to reunite with family or roommates
- Designated person to pick up children should you be unavailable
- Contact persons close-by and out-of-town
- Special health needs
- Place for your pet to stay
- Risks in your region
- Location of your fire extinguisher, water valve, electrical box, gas valve and floor drain
Keep this document in an easy-to-find, easy-to-remember place (for example, with your emergency kit). Photocopy this plan and keep it in your car and/or at work.