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ry 12, 2017 | 26 Losing power at home is inconvenient. When it happens, the worst part is not & knowing if the outage will last for a couple hours, or if it will stretch on for days. But s if you take a little time to get organized and round up a few items today, you will â€" be ready to keep your family comfortable when the lights go out. "This time of year, a variety of causes can lead to a power outage and affect the length of the outage, as well," says Ed Del Grande, a home improvement TV host, author and syndicated columnist. "Ice storms, high winds and other winter weather can damage transmission equipâ€" * ment and cause an outage. A little preparaâ€" tion can help you get through it safely and 5 comfortably." * Experts like Del Grande recommend §grabbing an oversized plastic bin and loadâ€" ing it with the essentials so you‘re ready i when the lights go out. Readyâ€"toâ€"eat foods Pull together some nomperishable, readyâ€"toâ€"eat foods. A couple jars of peanut butter and some boxes of crackers can go a long way in keeping your family happy and fed. Also, include some canned goods, like meat, fruits and veggies, along with in stant hot cocoa and coffee. Include energyâ€" Advertorial 1 N C ty w dense foods like protein bars, dried fruit, peanuts and nuts. Finally, don‘t forget the goodies, like funâ€"size candy bars and chips and saisa. Keep your camp stove or grill in a place where you can easily pull it out, but remember, do your cooking outdoors. Good lighting Make sure you have the right supplies to get you through those long nights and brief days of winter, safely. Round up all the flashlights in your home, pull out that batteryâ€"operated camping lantern from the garage and get them into one convenient place. Then, the next time you‘re at the Please send a photo of your family posing with your snowman and you will be entered to WIN A FAMILY NIGHT OUT! (Dinner & Bowling â€" value $150.) Select photos will be posted online or run in the paper on Friday February 24, 2017. Email your photos to: contests@miltoncanadianchampion.com CONTEST DETAILS: Entries to be recieved by midnight February 20, 2017. One entry per family/address. A random draw from all entries received to be held on Wednesday February 22, 2017. Winner will be contacted by phone. For complete contest rules & regulations visit: www.insideHALTON.com Keep your family safe during power outages this winter less than 20 per cent battery power. Pick up a couple of rechargeable power banks to keep smartphones and other electronic devices powered up. And don‘t get rid of older devices such as MP3 players and personal compact disc players. Use them to play music or an audio book when the lights â€" and the Wiâ€"Fi â€" are knocked out. Fi nally, have some lowâ€"tech entertainment at the ready. Books, board games and even a deck of playing cards can help pass the time and maybe even help with family bonding. Consider investing in a standby generator A great way to ensure you have safe, reliâ€" able backup power in the event of an outâ€" age is to invest in an automatic standby generator like those from Kohler. These generators are installed right outside your home, much like a central air conditioner. Once the power cuts out from your utility provider, a standby generator kicks in withâ€" in seconds, even if you‘re not home. That‘s because standby generators connect to your existing fuel lines, whether it‘s natural gas or propane. So the next time the outâ€" age hits, your family won‘t be without the furnace, water heater, refrigerator, stove, or anything that runs on electricity, including smartphones and computers. (BPT) A t 4 *3 w 64 o j in " x °t . * *4 i «5. 26e 34 .n:- y M S o S t l s y l -;"4\' Â¥ N eR is store, pick up extra batteries so you can keep those lights going throughout the duâ€" ration of a power outage. Warm things Keep a stack of quilts, old comforters, woo!l blankets and even sleeping bags handy so you can all snuggle in. Along with these, gloves, scarves, sweaters, fleece and stocking caps can also ward off the chill that will creep in. Electronics and entertainment it‘s the immutable law of the power outâ€" age: It always hits when your device has Submit a photo of your Pet and enter to Win a ay hd”fi“mahh“nmu ENTRY PER PER8SON Name 9/ F4E ............................... Your Name: .................. w Address: 000000 mmz I have read and agree to the Full Contest Rules & Regulations (y/n) lmmumnmmmom)___“fi* 1 would like to receive notices, communications, promotional offers and other information that be of interest to mmmm.mmumm.mmmnnz. me from 555 Industrial Drive | Milton Ontario | L9T 5E1 | 905â€"878â€"2341 e T L e m NBS Industrial Drive, Milton L Do e hampton. conn 'N,“;,f.‘,.",,‘..,v i IH a WV T JUWDFUNDING For? fueocal com is an onling prattorm to raise monay through crow@#funding ar opportunity for a collection of individuals to make donations in support of a cause Create your fundraising campaign or help tund local infatives at fuelocal cor Start your campaign now! p local ...