Estate work is all about dealing with end of life issues – and hopefully you have an estate plan in place. But have you thought about how you’d handle not the end of life, but the end of life as you know it?

It’s easy to take the conveniences of daily life for granted, but as recent events have shown, any of our lives could change in a flash. Just ask those caught in the B.C. wildfires this summer, or the wildfires around Fort McMurray in 2016, or the Calgary floods of 2013, or the Toronto ice storm of that same year.

These were all natural disasters, and are becoming too frequent to be considered “one offs.” It’s prudent to assume that extreme weather events will continue to happen. But there are other non-weather-related events that could disrupt our lives too, including prolonged power grid failures (like the one in 2003 that affected northeastern North America), terrorist attacks or even war.

The Toronto Star notes that the extreme survivalist or “prepper” movement is gaining momentum due to the uncertainties surrounding the policies and actions of U.S. President Trump.

You don’t have to go as far as freeze-dried food and underground bunkers to be prepared for a life-disrupting event. Here are a few options you may want to consider. They won’t save your home during a flood or fire, but they can help if the power goes out for any reason:

• Home phone: A basic hard-wired phone (the kind you don’t need to plug in to an electrical outlet) will work during a power outage. But remember, if most of the people in your friends and family network have cut the cord on their home phone service, you won’t have many people to call. So, if you have elderly parents or other family members that you want to reach in a power crisis, make sure they all have a basic phone and phone service.
• Back up battery packs for internet service: You can pick these up at your local Staples or other office supply store. For under $100, the battery will power your modem for a day and let you plug in other devices to charge, such as a phone or computer.
• Alternative water source: Many people already have a home water filter system with small under-counter storage tanks, or home water coolers with back-up jugs at the ready. These have the advantage of being usable every day, but also act as a short-term source of water if the municipal water system fails.
• Permanent generators: This is a more expensive but more effective solution to battle a power outage. A permanently installed home generator – the ones that sit outside and are about the size of a central air conditioning unit – can run almost all of your home systems, and could even charge your electric car if you have one. These generators connect to your natural gas line, or a large propane tank if you are off the natural gas line grid. These are common in rural areas with frequent power outages, but with so much of our lives now electricity-dependent, they are worth considering for city homes too.

You’ll find good food for thought on generators here in this recent article by Mike Holmes.

Thank you for reading.
Ian Hull