Northern B.C. residents top the preparedness scale compared to most others in the province when it comes to dealing with power outages, says the latest BC Hydro report.
Released Nov. 9, the report states that people in northern B.C. are the most likely in the province to experience multiple outages in a year, and estimates that 62 per cent people have taken steps to prepare for outages, and 58 per cent will have an emergency kit ready.
The report titled ‘Ready, set, storm: How preparedness for storm-related power outages varies across B.C.,’ found that British Columbians are generally “overconfident” and “underprepared” for storm-related power outages.
“While most British Columbians think fall and winter storms are getting worse, some regions are more prepared than others for storm-related power outages,” said Kyle Donaldson, BC Hydro spokesperson, in a media release.
“In fact, regions that experience more frequent storm events and the most power outages tend to be most prepared, but less confident in some cases.”
Residents of the Lower Mainland are the most unprepared in the province. The report found that Lower Mainlanders are the least likely to have an emergency kit at home and most likely to be dependent on their mobile phones. During an outage, people in the Lower Mainland are also most likely of any region to use their phone for online entertainment like Netflix and YouTube.
Vancouver Islanders are estimated to be a close second in preparation (58 per cent) and having an emergency kit (53 per cent).
BC Hydro recommends having a well-stocked emergency kit with supplies for each member of the household for at least 72 hours. An emergency kit should include basic supplies, such as a flashlight and extra batteries, first aid kit, required medications, non-perishable food and bottled water.