“Extreme weather events can happen at any time and sheltering in place is a reality for many Ontarians as we saw during last year’s holiday storm. Not being able to safely travel makes it incredibly important to ensure you have the items your family needs to be without power for up to 72 hours,” said Teri French, Executive Vice President, Safety, Operations and Customer Experience, Hydro One. “We know life grinds to a halt when the power goes out which is why our grid control centre is always monitoring for potentially damaging weather and our crews are available to respond 24/7.”

Of the 87 per cent of Ontarians that don’t have a fully complete emergency preparedness kit, 39 per cent say it had never occurred to them to have one and 11 per cent don’t think having one is necessary.

“On behalf of Ontarians, I’d like to thank Hydro One and their crews for their ongoing work to prepare the electricity grid for the upcoming winter season,” said Caroline Mulroney, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Emergency Management Ontario. “Snow and ice storms pose real dangers to individuals and critical infrastructure alike. Keeping the lights on in the event of an emergency is an important step to keeping Ontarians safe this winter. As the Minister responsible for emergency management, I’m proud to work with our partners, including Hydro One, to make sure people across Ontario are safe and prepared this winter.”

Hydro One encourages Ontarians to prepare a personalized emergency kit that reflects the needs of their family. Below is a list of critical items to include:

• Water and food that won’t spoil for all family members, including pets
• A manual can opener
• Windup or battery-powered flashlight and radio
• Extra batteries
• Cash
• First aid kit and medical items
• Blankets
• Emergency numbers including Hydro One’s outage line 1-800-434-1235
• Fully charged cellphone and a backup battery pack or a corded phone; a cordless phone will not work in a power outage

Keep your emergency kit in a backpack and make sure everyone in your home knows where to find it.

Hydro One also has a number of innovative outage tools available for customers to report power outages and easily access updates when and how they want including outage text alerts. When an outage occurs, customers can report it by texting 92887 (WATTS), or by using the company’s outage map and app, or calling 1-800-434-1235.

The post Half Of Ontarians Feel They Are Prepared To Weather The Next Severe Storm appeared first on Muskoka411.

The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services are strategically located at four sites across the city in Orléans, Riverside, Nepean and Stittsville.

“When a crisis hits and someone is in need, The Salvation Army and our trained mission partners including officers, staff and volunteers are there to respond immediately. The Salvation Army is on the ground providing hope to individuals and families with fresh food and water, emotional and spiritual support. We are in the community and there for our friends and neighbours,” said Glenn van Gulik, Divisional Secretary for Public Relations with The Salvation Army Ontario Division. “The Salvation Army will continue to provide support for as long as it’s needed.”

In two and a half days, almost 4,000 meals (breakfasts and dinners), 3,800 snacks and over 8,000 bottles of water, juice, and coffee have been provided by The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army is grateful for our Service Partner, Gordon Food Services Canada, for their support in suppling much needed fresh food including baked goods, healthy snacks, soups, sandwiches and water at our four sites for those who have been impacted.

If you need support, please visit Ottawa.ca to find the reception centre location nearest you. The Salvation Army is currently providing additional supports at the following locations:

• Site #1: CARDELREC Recreation Centre (Shea Road, Stittsville)
• Site #2: Carleton Heights Community Centre (Apeldoorn Drive, Nepean)
• Site #3: Francois Dupuis Rec Centre (Portobello Drive, Orleans)
• Site #4: Hunt Club / Riverside Community Centre (Riverside Drive, Ottawa)

Financial donations to support The Salvation Army in its Emergency Disaster Services efforts can be made online at SalvationArmy.ca or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

SOURCE The Salvation Army Ontario Division

The post The Salvation Army Mobilizes To Provide Hope During Catastrophic Power Outage In Ottawa Region appeared first on Muskoka411.