It's been almost a year since the major storm hit southern Ontario and left many stranded and without power.
A new survey conducted by Innovative Research Group for Hydro One shows that only 52 per cent of Ontarians feel prepared to manage through an extended power outage.
The survey also reveals that while 28 per cent of Ontarians have at least a semi-complete emergency preparedness kit, nearly half don’t have anything prepared at all.
"Extreme weather events can happen at any time and sheltering in place is a reality for many Ontarians as we saw during last year's holiday storm," said Teri French the Executive Vice President of Safety, Operations and Customer Experience at Hydro One.
"Not being able to safely travel makes it incredibly important to ensure you have the items your family needs to be without power for up to 72 hours," French added.
Hydro One encourages all residents to have an emergency preparedness kit that includes:
Water and food that won't spoil for all family members, including pets
A manual can opener
Windup or battery-powered flashlight and radio
Extra batteries
Cash
First aid kit and medical items
Blankets
Emergency numbers including Hydro One's outage line 1-800-434-1235
Fully charged cellphone and a backup battery pack or a corded phone; a cordless phone will not work in a power outage
It's recommended that the emergency kit be kept in a backpack and that all family members know where it's located.
