power outage

Had a power outage the other night after a rain storm and massive snow melt. Could have been from an underground ballast somewhere blew, (neighbor's hypothesis). I bought a generator several years ago and never used it other than starting it once to see if it worked. Good thing I had it. LIST...

This isn't a "What to do in case of power failure", but a how to get auto notified of when it happens question. I live in uptown, which is notorious for power failures when ever it gets hot out. Without shelling out for a apex, or reefkeeper, I am wondering if anyone has devised a way of being...