I also have just charged a little emergency radio that also works as a flashlight. Cute little gizmo only about $20 five years ago.
3/n
#icyOttawa
Turned the thermostat up a notch, and we'll dress lightly today indoors.
The idea is to load up all of our house's thermal mass so if/when power goes off, it takes a bit longer for the house to cool off. We'll bundle up and pull out the blankets after the event.
4/n
#icyOttawa
I filled up the car's gas tank. Don't anticipate going anywhere, but one never knows.
Also I found a tiny fuel-efficient car worked well as a power source for our 1500W inverter we bought in the 2004(?) power outage.
The car sips fuel idling, barely showing a depletion, and kept our fridge and freezer working.
This time it's winter, so cooling food is not such a risk.
5/n
#icyOttawa
I'm filling a big thermos jug and insulated travel mugs with hot water/tea when the rain starts.
I can boil water later with a camping stove on the back deck if I need to, but a thermos supply will keep us going through a short outage.
6/n
I'm making soup. Was planning to start a turkey soup with xmas-turkey parts today anyway, but that'll be an easy meal if power is out tomorrow.
7/n
#icyOttawa
I fetched some logs, cleaned out the fireplace, and pre-built a fire ready to go. If we wake up to a cold house, that'll be handy. An option we didn't have in our old house, so a valued resource (although environmentally nasty one, used rarely).
8/n
#icyOttawa
I've done the strange thing of adding some snow to a strip along our walkway.
If you've lived with an ice storm before you've found that walking on crusty icy snow is easier than a glassy hard surface.
9/n
#icyOttawa
Storm chips.
As our brethren in #Halifax have taught us, having chips on hand is an important thing when you're couch-bound under a blanket. We're prepared.
10/n
#icyOttawa #stormChips
Oh, salt and sand. Almost forgot that I haven't bright that out of the garage for the winter yet. I'd better move that near our front door for use tomorrow.
11/n
#IcyOttawa
Dishwasher!
As @human3500@ottawa.place mentions, running your dishwasher now makes good sense, so you're not both without power and without clean dishes and having to heat water to wash them by hand.
12/n
#IcyOttawa
Use the Great Free Freezer!
I've put a few large containers 3/4 full of water outside. At -8°C they should freeze up solid, and if power goes off I can use the ice blocks to keep the fridge cold.
Ultimately I'd move perishable contents outside to stay cold, but initially ice blocks should do the trick for a day or so.
13/n
#icyOttawa
Food leftovers storage? Do it now.
If, like me, you have leftover Christmas food you've been grazing on for three days, now is a good time to get the remainders into the freezer.
If that was the plan anyway, get it done now. If there's a power outage, it'll be difficult, and you won't have to face eating yet more of the same, in the dark, to avoid its spoilage.
14/n
#icyOttawa
Electronics in a power outage.
Consider turning off and unplugging potentially sensitive electronics. I'm thinking my NAS backup box is a good candidate. I have a laptop, but my SO's desktop will be shutdown overnight too.
The risk is from repeated power fluctuations or surges with a grid being hammered by tree falls, heavy ice and high winds.
15/n
#icyOttawa
Where do you park overnight?
With ice accretion and high winds, it's probably a good idea to think about the risk of falling tree limbs. An alternate parking spot, or garage might be a good choice.
I'm a bit worried a falling tree branch will knock some of the hail dents out of my car's roof. I've become attached to them.
16/n
#icyOttawa
Ross of Ottawa