With stormy winter weather conditions expected in the Kootenays, FortisBC is providing some quick safety tips to help residents stay safe and prepared for potential power outages.
What can you do to prepare your home:
- Make a family emergency plan and share it with everyone in your household.
- Prepare an emergency kit with enough supplies for at least 72 hours and store it where you can easily find it in the dark.
- Stock up on sleeping bags, blankets and extra clothing for warmth.
- Ensure your carbon monoxide alarms are working properly.
- Use surge protectors for electronics and keep phones charged.
Stay safe during a power outage:
- Turn off appliances and electronics to avoid power surges when power is restored.
- Don’t touch your circuit breaker or fuse panel with wet hands or while standing on a damp floor.
- If you decide to use your barbecue or propane camp stove to cook, use them outdoors only.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep food cold.
- If you see an electricity hazard such as a downed power line, please stay back at least 10 metres (33 feet, about the length of a school bus) and call FortisBC’s 24-hour emergency number at 1-866-436-7847 or dial 9-1-1 immediately.
FortisBC’s electricity crews are ready and on standby to respond to any power outages caused by winter storms. We encourage everyone to stay connected by following @FortisBC on X (formerly Twitter) and checking our outage map for updates at fortisbc.com/outages.
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