The winter storm forecast is nasty. Here's how to prepare

There is no confusing recent weather forecasts. 

A big winter storm is on its way just in time for Christmas, bringing a mix of rain, ice, heavy snow, chilly temperatures and gale-force winds, sure to derail travel plans and likely to leave some southwestern Ontario communities in the dark, maybe for days. 

Forecasters are predicting a flash freeze as early as Friday morning, combined with lashing winds of up to 110 km/h, which are likely to damage buildings, bring down trees and topple power lines. 

If Friday's winter storm lives up to the hype, it's bound to be a big one. Here's how to deal with the worst mother nature might throw at us over the next 48 hours.

Build a 72-hour home survival kit

As climate change creates more frequent extreme weather events, governments at all levels have started advising us to create a 72-hour home survival kit ready in case disaster strikes. 

One of the best places in London, Ont., to find the right gear to deal with any emergency is Forest City Surplus, which long prided itself on supplying survivalists with everything from common items like tents and camp stoves to speciality items such as ghillie suits and snake bite kits. 

"Forest City surplus has a little bit of everything," said Cody VanDiepen, the store's purchasing manager, who took CBC News on a tour of store shelves, stocked with a wide array of flashlights, compasses and candles for when the power goes out during the darkest time of the year. 

"You're going to need your 36-hour, sometimes we carry a 48-hour candle," he said, adding the store also carries reflective mylar bevy bags and emergency sleeping bags for little as $10. 

"If you do need to camp out overnight, you can pretty much fit that in your pocket, and it's going to keep you warm in winter down to -10C."

Build a car emergency kit

Police services, such as the OPP, recommend drivers keep an emergency car kit for breakdowns, accidents or getting stuck in the snow. Police advise drivers to travel only if necessary in this storm. If they must go, police insist, families pack mitts, hats, warm clothing, food, water, extra windshield washer fluid and a shovel in case they get stuck.

Amid the usual array of jumper cables and jerry cans in Forest City Surplus' automotive section, VanDiepen said the store carries many of the items drivers need in a pinch, including their own car emergency kit.

"I think anyone should have a minor safety kit in the trunk of their car, that includes a wool blanket, a break-out tool."

VanDiepen holds a package with a tiny hammer about the size of a razor. Despite the tool's size, he said, it packs a powerful punch. 

"It'll break your window if you need to get out. [The kits often have] a seat belt cutter. It's got a flashlight. Some come with a little hand warmer built in, an electric hand warmer."

Fine dinning for the prepper on the go

VanDiepen also sells food. None of it is farm fresh. Rather, it's been dehydrated, packaged and, in the case of the military rations he sometimes stocks, preserved with enough difficult-to-pronounce chemicals to make it last a long time.

"It'll last five to 10 years, I think they have a shelf life of," he said. "It says five to 10 years, but I've seen people eat 20-year-old ones, and they are still living." 

He said lately, the military rations have been difficult to acquire for sale, but for those looking to dine on cheese and mushroom risotto, Neapolitan spaghetti and Bengali rice during an extended power outage, there's options. 

"It gets fancy up here," he said. "Any kind of meal you can think of, there's teriyaki chicken and Thai coco rice. Some of these you have to put hot water into to rehydrate them."

Other meals need heating bags, which VanDiepen stocks. Once opened, they create a vigorous chemical reaction that will cook anything inside the bag without producing fire or light.

"It's a bag inside of a bag, you insert your packed meals in there and throw some pond water, you could even use urine if you needed to, it doesn't touch your food, it's just a chemical reaction."

If the power does go out...

Friday's storm could bring down trees and possibly power lines. If it happens on a large enough scale, it could be days before crews restore electricity. 

In case of a multi-day power failure, electric heat will not work, natural gas will still flow but some appliances, such as furnaces might not work properly without power.

To stay warm, many experts suggest dressing in layers, keeping doors and windows closed to conserve heat, blocking drafts with towels and using darker-coloured blankets and towels to hang in windows to draw heat. 

Drain pipes, or let a basement sink drip to keep water lines from freezing, and many insurers recommend unplugging appliances and electronics to avoid a surge when the power comes on.