Outages, generators, wood stoves and a 72-hour kit: preparing your home for winter

In La Petite-Nation, a power outage can last a long time. Power lines run through the forest and the rural roads are long. Residents are aware of this and often have a wood stove, a generator or a neighbour who owns one. Here is how to prepare properly, according to Hydro-Québec, Québec.ca and Québec's building authority, the RBQ.

Outages: who to call and where to find information

• Report an outage or electrical emergency: 1 800 790-2424, 24/7. Call 911 if public safety is at risk, for example if a line is down across the road.
• Follow outage updates: Hydro-Québec's Info-pannes map and the Hydro-Québec app, where you can also sign up for weather alerts.

Before winter, Hydro-Québec suggests you:

• seal drafts;
• install a carbon monoxide detector and test it;
• plug electronics into surge-protected power bars;
• have your fireplace or backup stove inspected and the chimney swept before the cold sets in;
• review your home insurance. Hydro-Québec states clearly that it is rarely responsible for this type of damage.

During an outage

Hydro-Québec's rules:

• Never use a combustion appliance indoors: barbecue, camp stove, propane heater, generator, or a car running in the garage.
• A natural gas range may be used for cooking, but never for heating.
• Use flashlights rather than candles.
• Keep the fridge and freezer shut.
• Unplug appliances at the start of the outage to avoid a surge when power returns.
• Do not enter a flooded basement near the electrical panel.

Generators: Hydro-Québec's three rules

1. A generator wired into the house must be installed by a master electrician, with an approved transfer switch, and Hydro-Québec must be notified. Without a transfer switch, power can feed back into the grid and electrocute line crews working on your road.
2. A portable generator must remain outdoors, away from doors, windows and air intakes. It must never be placed in an enclosed space, not even partly inside the garage.
3. Plug appliances straight into the generator with heavy-duty outdoor extension cords. Never plug it into a wall outlet or into the electrical panel.

Here are electrical contractors in the area, with their RBQ licence numbers (Levaque Électrique and E.N. Outaouais both advertise generator installation on their websites):

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide is invisible and odourless. Under the RBQ's Safety Code, a CO alarm is required in the residential buildings it covers when there is a combustion appliance (gas range, fireplace) or direct access to an indoor garage. Québec.ca recommends one in every home in those situations: on every floor including the basement, near the door to an attached garage, and in bedrooms where people sleep with the door closed. It should be tested monthly.

Symptoms: headache, fatigue and nausea, followed by dizziness, chest pain and blurred vision. If the alarm sounds or someone shows these symptoms, have everyone leave the building, call 911 or the Centre antipoison du Québec, leave the door open, and go back inside only when firefighters give permission.

The wood stove

Québec.ca's recommendations:

• Have the chimney swept at least once a year by a professional, ideally in spring. If this has not been done, have it done before the coldest weather arrives.
• Ashes should be placed in a metal container with a raised bottom and a metal lid, outside, on a non-combustible surface, at least one metre from anything. Wait at least 7 days before throwing them out.
• Dry wood, split into small pieces.
• A CSA- or EPA-certified stove, installed by a member of the Association des professionnels du chauffage.
• Smoke and CO alarms near the bedrooms and in the room with the stove.

Since 2009, Québec's wood-burning appliance regulation has prohibited the sale of stoves that do not meet CSA B415.1 or EPA emission standards. A certified stove emits up to ten times fewer fine particles.

The 72-hour kit

Québec.ca recommends having what you need to be self-sufficient for three days. Here are the seven essentials:

• 6 litres of water per person;
• non-perishable food for at least 3 days;
• a manual can opener;
• a battery radio and spare batteries;
• a headlamp or flashlight (battery or crank);
• a lighter or matches, and candles;
• a first-aid kit.

Add your emergency plan: a contact list, instructions for shutting off water, electricity and gas, two routes out of the area, and photos of your belongings stored somewhere other than the house. Hydro-Québec adds warm blankets and reusable hand warmers.

Neighbours

One last piece of advice, which does not come from any official guide: during an outage, check in on more vulnerable relatives and neighbours, such as a woman living alone at the end of the road or an uncle without a generator. This is often how mutual aid is organized in the region.

Sources

• Hydro-Québec, preparing for a power outage
• Hydro-Québec, outage safety rules
• Hydro-Québec, backup power supply
• Hydro-Québec, contact us
• RBQ, Safety Code, residential occupancies
• Québec.ca, carbon monoxide alarms and carbon monoxide poisoning
• Québec.ca, wood heating
• Québec environment ministry, wood-burning appliance regulation
• Québec.ca, how to prepare at home
• Checked October 11, 2026.

ThursoPapineauvilleSaint-André-AvellinRiponChénévilleVal-des-BoisDuhamelLac-Simon

Sources

The facts in this story come from these public sources. Every place and event mentioned has its own page, with its sources and the date it was checked. Legal notice

Links cited in the story

• Électricité E.N. Outaouais · electriciteenoutaouais.com/
• hydroquebec.com · hydroquebec.com/safety/preparing-power-outage.html
• hydroquebec.com · hydroquebec.com/securite/panne-electricite-regles-securite.html
• hydroquebec.com · hydroquebec.com/safety/backup-power-supply-safe-use.html
• hydroquebec.com · hydroquebec.com/contact-us/
• Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) · rbq.gouv.qc.ca/en/areas-of-intervention/building/technical-information/building-
• Gouvernement du Québec (Québec.ca) · quebec.ca/securite-situations-urgence/securite-incendie/equipements-securite-inc
• Gouvernement du Québec (Québec.ca) · quebec.ca/sante/problemes-de-sante/a-z/intoxication-au-monoxyde-de-carbone
• Gouvernement du Québec (Québec.ca) · quebec.ca/securite-situations-urgence/securite-incendie/prevenir-incendie/appare
• environnement.gouv.qc.ca · environnement.gouv.qc.ca/air/chauf-bois/reglement.htm
• Gouvernement du Québec (Québec.ca) · quebec.ca/en/public-safety-emergencies/emergency-situations-disasters-and-natura

Sources for the places and events mentioned

• Données Québec · donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/licencesactives
• Levaque Électrique · levaqueelectrique.com/
• Racicot électrique Inc. · racicotelectrique.com/
• Duhamel (town) · municipalite.duhamel.qc.ca/fr/citoyens/services-a-la-population/entreprises-de-d
• Centre antipoison du Québec · antipoison.ca/
• ciusss-capitalenationale.gouv.qc.ca · ciusss-capitalenationale.gouv.qc.ca/antipoison/en/a-propos/contact-us

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