These islanders know the secrets to dealing with long power outages

Residents of Thetis Island, B.C., say there's nowhere they'd rather be in a disaster than their remote community — because they're ready.

The island of approximately 500 people is a 30-minute ferry ride from Vancouver Island and is used to being left in the dark. 

When storms whip through the island region and knock down transmission lines, Thetis is often one of the last communities to get power restored. 

Jeannine Caldbeck, the chief of the island's volunteer fire department, says it's normal for power to be out for a few days at a time in the winter — like it was after the bomb cyclone storm in mid-November — and it can even last more than a week. 

Which means residents are prepared and have lessons those in the city could learn from.

B.C. Hydro has warned there may be more outages this winter as drought-weakened trees are more likely to fall. 

"I think that people in the cities think that they're going to get a lot of people helping them, especially when we get the big earthquake," said Caldbeck, '[but] I would very much prefer to be in this community." 

While a major earthquake is a much bigger disaster than a multi-day power outage, Caldbeck says the principles are the same: have extra food and water on hand, know how to look after yourself and know your neighbours so you can support each other. 

In a rural setting, that can mean knowing who to call when you need a chainsaw or an extra set of hands to help move a fallen tree. 

But it can also mean knowing who has a generator or a wood stove or who might need extra help. 

Jaime White owns Telegraph Harbour Marina with his family. While he's new to Thetis, he knows plenty about preparing for winter after growing up in northern British Columbia. 

"Get to know your neighbour before the power is out because you want to know what they need," advised White. 

You might learn, for example, that your neighbour doesn't have a way to heat food if the power is out — but if you do, you can make sure to have extra food on hand for them. 

To Ann Dickie, it comes down to community and coffee.