One year ago, we were on the eve of a devastating wind storm.
There was no indication it was coming, of course, but it hit hard and forcefully. The time period leading up to the storm was relatively quiet with little or no wind.
This early part of December has been eerily similar. Makes you wonder what might be around the corner.
Winds have been minimal, for the most part, but as we’ve come to realize in this part of the world things can change quickly. The bottom line is most people were not the least bit prepared for last year’s storm and being without power for anywhere from three to seven days or more, depending where you live, as BC Hydro was heavily taxed to reach all residents affected by outages over a wide area of the Island.
Hopefully, that storm taught us a few lessons and to be ready for similar circumstances.
The Chemainus Emergency Preparedness Network has done considerable work to get the message out to people about what they need to do. Meetings have been held throughout the year and on a monthly basis recently.
The common reaction until the 2018 storm has been not to bother having enough food and water supplies to last several days just in case because we never experience serious weather events of that nature. But it’s been a rude awakening that it can happen here just as much as anywhere else.
With so many seniors in our community, including an abundance still living in their own homes as independently as possible, looking out for each other took on a greater importance. None of us are ever sure what support seniors may have to assist them in times of crisis.
While we have to look after our own needs, it certainly became more pertinent to check in on those living near to us to make sure they were all right.
Long power outages create a whole set of problems from what to do with food thawing in freezers to making sure people aren’t freezing in their homes. Safety is also a primary concern and unorthodox forms of heat can be outright dangerous.
Educating yourself about all the measures that need to be considered is the best remedy.