Here on PEI, many people are without power and have been since Monday (this is Thursday). We had some freezing rain on Monday that did extensive damage to the power lines and it’s just a terrible situation. The Maritime Electric crews are working around the clock, and it might be into the weekend before power is restored to everyone.

Once again, this makes me think of how important it is to have a backup plan in place when you operate a business. Many businesses can’t open here because power is needed for almost everything.

We have a generator that will power our heat, coffee maker and our internet connection (three important things!). That being said, it is costing quite a bit to keep up with the amount of gas needed to power the generator.

It’s mostly business as usual, but we can only have the generator going for a couple of hours at a time because of the cost, and the house will stay warm for a little while once the rads are shut off.

We don’t have enough juice from the generator to use our stove, so it’s mostly grilling being done, but we’re a lot better off than some people.

Are you prepared for a power outage in your business? You might want to check out Yvonne Weld’s guide to making a plan for your business, including a disaster plan.

For anyone not living on PEI to see the devastation, check out the Guardian’s website to read about it and see some pictures of the ice that covered everything yesterday. Mother nature is truly remarkable.

So, are you prepared?

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