Emergency preparedness kit key to surviving power outages: Toronto Hydro

TORONTO – Toronto Hydro is reminding the public to have emergency preparedness kits handy in case of power outages caused by storms.

The call to action comes as the city marks the second anniversary of the ice storm which knocked out electricity to over 300,000 Toronto Hydro customers in 2013.

Toronto Hydro recently released a YouTube video to shed light on the differences between being prepared and being caught in the dark.

“Most people don’t think of being prepared until it’s too late. We don’t want our customers to be caught off-guard, which is why we’ve made this fun and engaging video to help them learn why it’s important to be ready for power outages,” said Toronto Hydro spokesperson Tori Gass in a media release.

The animated video tells the story Sara and José as they experience a power outage in the city of Toronto and the challenges one of them face without an emergency preparedness kit.

Toronto Hydro advocates having a kit filled with supplies such as a flashlight, candles, bottled water, batteries, non-perishable foods and cash.

The kit should have enough supplies to last 72 hours and be placed in an easy-to-access location.