New Brunswick emergency officials want residents still without power because of this week’s ice storm to keep safety top of mind in the home when trying to keep warm.
READ MORE: Thousands remain without power after ice storm wreaks havoc on New Brunswick
Power is still being restored, but NB Power says a restoration time for the entire province is not known yet. At one point, about 130,000 NB Power customers were impacted.
With electricity still out for many people, Sussex Fire Chief Harold Lowe said people should be careful when heating their homes.
He said because people don’t know what products are safe to use, trying to heat your home can lead to a lot of problems.
“Don’t bring in barbeques, [and] don’t bring in outside heaters that aren’t supposed to be inside to be used,” Lowe said.
Jeanette and Doug Jonah of Norton, N.B. said they were prepared when the power went out, which for them lasted for more than 30 hours. Jeannette said they were prepared in other ways like ice packs for the fridge, extra water, a portable stove and candles which they say they were very careful with.
“You have to think of those things,” Jeannette said. “You don’t want the house to catch fire.”
When the power goes out, officials say there are a number of safety measures people should keep top of mind during a power outage. They include smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with a working battery back-up.
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Lowe said he’s also seen people use a generator inside in the past, but it’s something people shouldn’t do because it can cause a build up of carbon monoxide.
“They were running to get power to their fridge so their food would stay good,” Lowe explained. “They were fired up and they weren’t thinking.”
The New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) is also encouraging people to take advantage of warming centres in various areas of the province.
“We call them warming centres and they are that, but it’s also a place someone can go not just to get warm but to charge up their iPhones, to charge up any other electronic devices they feel they need to,” said EMO Director Greg MacCallum.
MacCallum said the centres can also be used to charge medical devices.
Here’s a list of warming centres in New Brunswick:
- Bas-Caraquet – École L’Escale des Jeunes
- Bertrand – Municipal Office
- Blackville – Fire Hall
- Blackville – 137 Main St.
- Bouctouche – JK Irving Centre, 30 Évangéline St.
- Burnt Church (Esgenoôpetitj) First Nation – Bingo Plex – Route 11
- Caraquet – City Hall
- Chipman – Fire Department
- Eel Grould First Nation – Church
- Hampton – Community Centre, 808 Main St.
- Hillsborough – Fire Hall
- Lagaceville – Church
- Lamèque – Résidences Lucien Saindon
- Memramcook – Arena
- Miramichi – Golden Hawk Recreation Centre, 8 Pollard Ave.
- Miramichi – Linden Rec Centre
- Moncton – City Hall
- Moncton – Resurgo Place
- Moncton – Coliseum
- Moncton – Crossman Community Centre
- Paquetville – Centre du savoir
- Pointe-du-Chêne – Recreational Centre
- Rexton – Fire Hall
- Riverview – Coverdale Recreation Centre
- Rogersville – Municipal Office
- Saint-Léolin – Club de l’age d’or
- Salisbury – Lions Club
- Salisbury – Village Office
- Salisbury – Fire Department
- Shediac – Multipurpose Centre
- Shippagan – Centre Universitaire
- Tracadie – Centre des chevaliers de Colomb (Sheila)
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