[sunflower]

Hi Baggywrinkle, your experience brought back memories of the ice storm we experienced in Quebec a few years ago. We had to drain the pipes and leave our home after three days because the fireplace was useless. That taught us a good lesson. Heat is essential in our part of the world in winter! We stayed with friends and relatives for two weeks. Yes, our home was one of the last to regain power. Our home is usually heated with electric rads and a heat pump.

From that experience we learned: the fireplace was improved so that heat no longer goes up the chimney but radiates out into the room even when the fan doesn't work. We keep a year's supply of wood on hand and boxes of eco logs in the basement. This would keep two rooms heated (den and kitchen)and we have rolls of heavy vinyl to block off the rest of the house if need be. We are planning to have a grate installed in the ceiling (den) so one bedroom upstairs could also be used.

We have good quality camping gear including hand-cranked radio, flashlight, water filters and portable stoves. We are buying a battery type generator soon and plan to purchase solar panels etc in the near future. We can live without tv but we would seriously suffer from computer deprivation!