I have lived in Toronto for 25 years. One of the things I love about big city life is weather. Or, should I say, lack of it! Toronto doesn’t usually get snow. We get a light dusting, but that’s about it. Sassy toques and maybe gloves are all we need! I have spent many city winters only wearing fashion boots, snow boots not needed! (Except for the “army calling” winter, but we city folk do not like to talk about that!)
We have relatives outside of the city, which we love to go see to “visit” the snow and then head back to our nice, dry city.
Last year however, we got hit with a little something called an ice storm. We got hit HARD. A lot of our friends were without power, for weeks. Some had to stay in hotels, or bunk with friends, and many had to send last minute notes to Santa, letting him know they wouldn’t be home on Christmas Eve. We were lucky enough to have power, and stayed warm and cozy for the holidays.
When I heard that people would be without power for a few days, I immediately checked my supplies. Hors D’oeuvres? Check! Wine? Check! Pizza dough? Check! Board games? Check! We were ready for the storm, and to have our power-less neighbours over for the afternoon.
What we weren’t prepared for, though, was to be up to 72 hours without power or heat. That is the length of time the Government of Canada recommends you have an emergency kit ready for. After last year’s storm, I realized I wasn’t prepared AT ALL. I had some scented candles, but I didn’t even own a real flashlight. I am pretty sure the Spongebob Squarepants one wouldn’t do the job in a real emergency. Up to this point, the only weather related emergency I’d had, was running out of coffee, and having to brave the cold morning air, to run in my pj’s to our local corner coffee shop! So, I decided to check out this link to the GoC’s website, found a check list, and for a just a few dollars got my house ready. We now have everything we need, tucked neatly in a cupboard, easily accessible, in case of a real emergency. I feel better knowing we are prepared. I even got an emergency kit for our car.
I think that living an urban lifestyle, you forget that in a few short hours, Mother Nature can really mess things up, so it’s important to be ready!
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