Surviving urban power loss: a case study

We just came back from 48h of the worst blackout in Montreal's history, caused by freezing rain. Near freezing temperatures, and tree damage all.over the place (but not on our property, fortunately)

Our house is 100% electric from hydro and wind: makes sense from an environmental perspective in an urban emvironnent, but risky when power breaks...

Here's an update of how we managed...

- First of all, both community and state responded beautifully. People with power shared with those without, all levels of gouvernement posted calls to solidarity and prudence, and within 24h shelters and safe spaces had been open. No fights for batteries anywhere or pillaging. Anyone sick or old was called and cared for (we saw lots of firefighters/first responders making rounds to vulnerable people)

- on a closer level, neighbours and friends pooled resources. Our next door neighbour lended us a few hours of his generator to give our fridge and freezer a boost. In return, we shared our (useless to us) electric portable heater so he could keep his young kids warm.

- Camping gear did beautifully. We have wood-powered and propane powered burners, so cooking food was not an issue. Our new 60W solar panel was used to charge our portable battery (mostly in day 2, because day 1 was overcast and still rainy). I could see it keeping us running for a long time. We kept warm in our  three season sleeping bags.

- our biggest weakness is our aquariums. Most of our backup power went to keeping the fish aerated and not too cold. (All 10 survived so far, but I'll be monitoring ammonium rates because the balance is probably out if whack). In a true catastrophy, we'd have to let out finned friends go...

- the permies of "keep people warm, not the house" worked great. We have an electric pillow and reusable hot packs that can warm up a cold bed. Hot tea does wonders too.

- a lot of victorian era things like fingerless gloves and tea cozies suddently made sense. My love for things retro was well rewarded. I now wish I owned a floor length wool walking skirt and matching petticoat...

- Not all of our house makes the most of natural light. I had to move a chair next to the window to sew, and my husband could barely read his piano sheet music when the sky was overcast. Not a catastrophy, but it makes us realize how much we depend on artificial light.

- And finally, my kids  (10&11) are so addicted to technology. Near the end of day 2, they finally got out of the complaining mode and started getting creative. But it drained a lot of my emotional energy to manage their mood and plan for activities to get them out of their slump . We still have a lot of emotional work to do before they can withstand a zoombipocalypse (of course, now that power is back, my youngest has been outside with her whittling knife for hours... Go figure!)

Conclusion: we fared well. House was at 13oC at its lowest, which was perfectly manageable for human members of the household. Without my neighbour's generator, we might have lost some food, but nothing dramatic or life-threatening. I'll keep pestering my husband for an EPA approved wood stove though, because that would be our biggest long term weakness in winter. But we are fairly restricted in what we can use in the city because of (very reasonable) smog-prevention regulations.  But we can manage well and confortably, if we ignore the whining.

Our area was one of the most intensely hit by Hurricane Sandy in 2012; my home didn't flood but the building was without power for about a week. The building did have water back on reasonably soon and a gas stove to cook, and it was not too cold during that time of year so we managed with clothing and blankets. We weren't particularly well prepared for the situation so I can't say I have wisdom to share but I did learn a couple of things worth mentioning.

Mirrors will really help with light, especially if you have limited candles or whatever you may have for light. It also helps in the daytime if you don't have a lot of natural light, to set them at an ingle that reflects as much sunlight into the area you are sitting to read etc.

It's good to know where the power supply for the hospitals around you runs- buildings on a couple of block that were on the same substation had power throughout and they would run cords out to their stoops so people could charge phones (once we got phone service back) or batteries. A lot of them had kettles to heat up water for drinks or cup noodles too.

After about 3 days, I realized my freezer was thawing. I went out for a walk and  found out a friend had power (she was on the hospital line) and was hosting people for showers or little ones to warm up, so I took all of my food from fridge and freezer and cooked it there. We had at least some hot food for everyone who showed up. The information that facilitates that kind of collaboration can be really helpful (and hopeful) in a disaster, so knowing how that grid works in your area is good.

Also, if possible, and if I have a car, I keep the gas over 1/2 tank at all times. Evacuating when there is no gas for 50 miles is pretty stressful. And you can also go warm up in your car if you have to.

Edited to add- to Kena's point about the wool skirt and petticoat, I have been wanting a giant puffy quilted outfit ever since!!

Kena Landry, thanks for your post. A magnificent example of resilience! Well done!

I recall images of the last big ice storm in Quebec, c.1998. DW and I looked at each other and installed a wood stove in short order.