What to do in case of a power outage in Vancouver this Thanksgiving weekend

    1 of 3 2 of 3

      With the remains of Hurricane Oho hitting the Lower Mainland this weekend and the recent power outage still fresh in the malleable minds of Vancouverites, here are a few tips on what to do in case you lose electricity.

      1. Panic immediately
      2. Call everyone you know with your rapidly dwindling cellphone battery to inquire if they too have lost power
      3. Tweet about the outage repeatedly. Sample tweet: “OMG POWER’S OUT!!!!” We are relying on you because there is no other way we would know if the power is out unless we read your Twitter account!
      4. Play three hours of Candy Crush
      5. Throw an adult temper tantrum because your phone is dead
      6. Throw an adult temper tantrum because Thanksgiving is ruined!
      7. Demand grocery stores and local government pay for any food that has spoiled because you are obviously the only person this extended power outage has affected
      8. Write angry letters to us detailing the lack of grocery-government response to your spoiled food issue

      "This is bad advice!" you cry. "How will this help the situation at all?"

      Congratulations, you are a rational human being. Here are some real tips for you.

      Before the power goes out

      1. Charge your phone
      2. Ditto your rechargable batteries
      3. Know where your flashlight is and ensure it has enough fully charged batteries (see item two)
      4. Get out your rain gear
      5. If you regularly take medication, make sure you have enough to last over the weekend
      6. Buy enough non-perishable food to get you through a few days
      7. Did you buy your non-perishable food in canned form? Make sure you haven’t thrown out that crappy manual can opener you hate because you will actually need it
      My relationship with this can opener is confusing and fraught with emotion.
      Shutterstock

      After the power goes out

      1. Do not panic
      2. Wait for five or 10 minutes to see whether it's a temporary outage or if you should be settling in for a while
      3. If your power is still out after 10 minutes, report the outage to 1-888-POWER-ON or text *49376 (*HYDRO) on your should-now-be-fully-charged cellphone
      4. Reacquaint yourself with the books and board games in your house
      5. Refrain from opening your fridge and freezer more than necessary; your fridge will stay cold for four hours if you leave it alone
      6. Dig out extra blankets and warm sweaters in case the temperature drops
      7. Build a blanket fort! (Not required but recommended.)
      8. Thank the Powers That Be for the power outage as it means you won’t have to make a massive Thanksgiving dinner for those ungrateful relatives you hate
      9. Do not write angry letters to us detailing the lack of government response to your spoiled food issue; we will simply remind you that we told you to stop opening the damn fridge door so much
      10. Hope this doesn't happen:
      Andrew Yan

      When your power comes back on

      1. Netflix and chill

      Comments