25kw generator? What is he planning to do, power the whole neighborhood, street lights and all? Sheesh! OVERKILL!
I was lucky (if you want to think of it that way) to be in Toronto when the ice storms hit, so I didn't have to live through it. But I can say without a doubt that cold weather and a lack of electricity is a bad mix... one of the reasons my house has a fireplace in it that actually burns wood, not just a decorative gas fake fire that makes to real heat and won't start without power. It isn't really big enough to heat the house or anything, but I suspect I could keep the place above freezing, which is truly important.
The idea of having to flush pipes in your house and shut off the water to keep from bursting the pipes is a pretty scary idea.
Cleo, have you considered putting up solar panels? Perhaps a really big antenna for your wireless so more people can access it? Maybe install a hotspot and get paid?
Alex