WATCH: In the event of a massive storm like the one this past weekend, South Coast residents are advised to be prepared to survive up to 72 hours without power. Catherine Urquhart has more.
In the 20th century, people gathered in churches and community halls in times of public emergencies.
Now, we gather around smartphone chargers.
Or perhaps it just seemed that way in some parts of Metro Vancouver during the region’s worst storm in a decade.
As hundreds of thousands went over a day without power, it became increasingly evident that many had little experience with the situation they were suddenly thrust in.
“Absolutely a wake-up call,” says Lisa Shields. She and her friends Stuart Black and Leigh Lawlor were at a Starbucks in Kitsilano for part of Sunday, charging their phones like many others.
“We’re old school campers and so ten years ago I remember being able to live off the grid. But now, no. Power is everything.”
Since the storm began, Metro Vancouver’s 9-1-1 operators have been inundated with calls – over 1,100 of them between 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday alone.
Many were calling to report accidents and downed power lines. But many other calls were coming from people who just didn’t know who to call.
“Questions about when my power will come back on is just not a good use of 9-1-1 resource,” said Jody Robertson E-Comms Spokesperson.
Plenty of questions, and plenty of frustrations. BC Hydro’s website has been down, causing frustration for scores of people unsure when power would be restored to their area.
READ MORE: BC Hydro spokesperson apologizes for website being down
And there was at least one major accident, in Surrey at 60th and King George, at a powerless intersection turned into a 4-way stop.
But still, there were plenty of examples of people making the best of the situation. At an intersection on the Fraser Highway, one man volunteered as a traffic cop for Sunday, helping to guide people through the unfamiliar situation.
“Makes less headaches for people,” said the man who identified himself as Fred.
“People were getting frustrated, and you’re going to have an accident sooner or later. Just giving a quick hand to get people moving on their way.”
In Maple Ridge, one family shared their generator power with the neighbourhood. The Trudell family left a note outside their home telling neighbours to use a make-shift power station set up outside their front door.
READ MORE: What you need to know about food storage in a power outage
“Threw up an extension bar so the neighbours could come by and charge their phones. It’s all my dad’s idea though. My dad loves helping out,” says Matt Trudell.
Without that help, Dirk Thompson says he’d have to throw out hundreds of dollars worth of food.
“We’ll be keeping this on for a while so it gets cooler and stays cool. Then we’ll alternate to the freezer in the garage,” he says.
WATCH: John Hua reports on how people in Maple Ridge coped with the outage
Metro Vancouver Chair Greg Moore says the entire situation is a wake-up call for everyone.
“We don’t know when a natural disaster is going to occur, but we need to know that we are prepared and that we can survive without the fire department, police department, city crews be at your doorstep within 24 hours,” he said to Global News today.
“It’s a reminder to all of us. This was a big storm, but it’s nothing compared to a big massive earthquake,” said Moore.
READ MORE: Vancouver Zoo evacuated; wind breaks grizzly bear enclosure
PHOTO ESSAY: Largest South Coast storm in a decade causes mass power outages
– With files from Nadia Stewart and Jeremy Hunka
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