A power outage can be as simple as a brief interruption during a summer thunderstorm or as challenging as several days without electricity following a major winter storm. Most outages are manageable, especially when you have a few basic supplies and a simple plan in place. This is a practical article designed to make preparing for a power outage feel like sensible household planning, not doomsday prepping.
It should go without saying that the key to preparing is best done before the lights go out. You don’t need to turn your home into a survival bunker or fill your basement with a year’s supply of food. Common sense and a bit of preparation can make a 10-hour outage, even a 10-day outage, seem much more tolerable for you and your family.
Here are several practical things every household can do to prepare for a disruption in electrical service.
HAVE THESE BASICS READY TO GO
Start with this list of practical supplies. Keep them together and easily accessible in a location that everyone in your house knows about. A good basic emergency kit should include:
- Flashlights or battery-powered lanterns
- Extra batteries
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- Portable phone chargers or power banks
- Candles and matches or a lighter
- First-aid supplies
- Prescription medications and commonly used over-the-counter medicines
- Blankets and warm clothing
- Bottled drinking water
- Several days of nonperishable food
- Manual can opener
- Basic tools
- Cash, since ATM machines may not work
We like LED lanterns and flashlights. They seem to provide plenty of light while using relatively little battery power. Keep flashlights near every bedroom and have at least one larger lantern available for common areas. It’s also a good idea to know where your home’s electrical panel, water shutoff and gas shutoff are located. Odds are, you’ll never need to do anything with them during an outage, but knowing where they are and how to shut them off might be important someday.
YOUR FIRST CONSIDERATION: SAFETY
A little common sense goes a long way when the electricity is off.
- Never use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove or propane-burning appliance indoors, in a garage or near doors and windows. These devices produce carbon monoxide, an invisible and odorless gas that can be deadly. Generators are to be used outdoors, away from the house and according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Use flashlights and battery-powered lanterns whenever possible instead of candles. If you do use candles, keep them on a stable, heat-resistant surface away from curtains, bedding, paper and other things that can catch fire. And never leave a burning candle unattended.
- If there’s a medical device in the house that requires electricity, make sure you have a backup plan before an outage occurs. This might include a battery backup for the equipment, or a generator that is safely installed and operated. Or, you may need to temporarily move somewhere with reliable power.
- Stay away from downed power lines and anything that might be touching them. A fallen line may still be energized, even if there are no sparks or any other obvious signs of danger. Keep children and pets well away and contact the utility or emergency services to report the hazard.
- If you smell gas, leave the area at once and contact your gas utility or emergency services from a safe location. Never turn an electrical switch on or off or use anything that might create a spark.
- Check on neighbors, friends and family members who may need help. Use a warming center, cooling center or other safe location if necessary.
The goal of outage preparation isn’t to worry about everything that could go wrong. The point here is to keep these things in mind, so you’ll be able to handle an unexpected situation calmly and confidently.
ITEM NUMBER ONE: WATER
Water is far more important than food when preparing for an extended outage. A reasonable household supply is at least one gallon of water per person per day, with more water needed for pets and certain medical or personal needs. For a short outage, you may already have enough water available in your home, but having several days of bottled or properly stored water provides extra peace of mind. Next time you see cases of bottled water on sale, pick up a few. It stores easily and lasts a long time.
If you have advance warning of a storm, fill clean containers with water before the weather arrives. Your bathtub and washing machine can also be filled with water for non-drinking purposes such as flushing toilets or cleaning.
Sometimes an outage can affect municipal water systems, particularly during a widespread emergency. If local authorities issue a boil water order, be sure to follow their instructions.
PLAN FOR MEALS
One of the easiest ways to make a power outage more enjoyable is to think ahead about what you’ll eat. Keep a supply of foods that don’t require refrigeration and can be eaten with little or no cooking. Canned fruits and vegetables, soups, beans, tuna, peanut butter, crackers, cereal, granola bars, dried fruit, nuts and shelf-stable milk are all good choices. Get the kids involved by letting them choose some of their favorites.
If you have a grill, outdoor griddle or other outdoor cooking equipment, make sure you have the right fuel on hand. A propane grill can be especially useful during an outage. We mentioned it earlier, but it’s definitely worth repeating: grills, camp stoves and generators should never be used inside a home, garage or other enclosed space because of the danger of carbon monoxide.
Plan meals around foods your family already enjoys. Having familiar favorites available can make an outage feel less like an emergency and more like an unexpected change in routine. And, if you’re a coffee drinker and not able to function without that morning cup, consider a French press, pour-over coffee maker or other method that doesn’t require electricity.
KEEP THE REFRIGERATOR AND FREEZER DOORS CLOSED
The number one question that comes up during a power outage is: “What do I do with all the food in my refrigerator and freezer?” The simplest answer is to keep the door closed. A refrigerator will generally keep food cold for about four hours if the door stays closed. A full freezer will often keep a safe temperature for around 48 hours, while a half-full freezer may stay cold for about 24 hours.
Do not repeatedly open the refrigerator to see whether everything is still cold. Every time you open the door, cold air escapes. If the outage is expected to last for an extended period of time, you can move refrigerated or frozen food into coolers with ice or frozen gel packs. Refrigerator & freezer thermometers are inexpensive additions to an emergency kit and remove some of the guesswork.
When power returns, don’t rely on the smell or appearance alone to decide whether food is safe. If in doubt, it’s best to pitch it. Food that has been held at unsafe temperatures can cause illness even if it looks and smells perfectly normal.
YOUR PHONE IS A VITAL COMMUNICATION TOOL
Your smartphone may be one of your most useful tools during an outage, but only if you have battery power. Keep one or two portable power banks charged and ready. Our daughter, who was in the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa, had another option. She used a solar-powered charger to keep her cell phone charged. A vehicle will offer a way to recharge phones, provided you do so safely. Remember, never run a vehicle in an enclosed garage.
Before an outage occurs, make sure family members have each other’s current phone numbers and develop a simple family communication plan. If phone service is still available, decide how everyone should check in. For example, everyone could agree to send a text message to one designated family member when they are safe.
Text messages sometimes will get through when voice calls are difficult because they use less network capacity. If cell service is unavailable, a battery-powered radio can provide important information from local authorities and emergency broadcasters. It’s also a good idea to write important phone numbers on paper. A dead phone isn’t very useful if you can’t remember the numbers stored inside it.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS?
An extended power outage can be an adventure for children, if you give them something to do and no one gets too stressed out. Before the outage, put together a small “power outage activity box.” Fill it with items that don’t require electricity, things like:
- Board games
- Card games
- Coloring books and crayons
- Puzzles
- Books
- Playing cards
- Crossword and word search books
- Craft supplies
- Paper and pencils
How about making a longer outage a little more fun by having family game nights by lantern light? For younger children, a flashlight can become part of the entertainment. Tell stories about your childhood with Grandma and Grandpa, make goofy shadow puppets on the wall, build a blanket fort or get the guitar out for a few songs that everyone can sing along with. Use your imagination, but be careful. You’re probably in for lots of laughs!
Think beyond screen time. It might still be possible if phones, tablets or laptops have battery power. But having alternatives is important when batteries eventually run down. You’ll soon find out that the time with kids without their electronic devices is loads of fun and much more memorable.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
Heating and cooling are a primary concern during a lengthy outage. In cold weather, dress in layers and gather the family in a smaller room where body heat can help keep the space comfortable. South-facing windows on a sunny day can provide some radiant heat to the room. But, during evenings and cloudy days, it’s usually best to keep curtains and blinds pulled to help retain heat. Keep doors and windows closed as much as possible.
If your home is equipped with a wood-burning stove or fireplace, be sure to have plenty of dry wood that’s easy to retrieve. A wood-burning stove can be a critical piece of equipment during a cold weather emergency. It’s the best way to keep your home, or at least a part of it, warm and toasty and a great way to heat up water and food. Washing up a bit, hot meals and staying comfortable do wonders for one’s psyche and attitude during a prolonged outage.
Practice a bit with the stove before an outage and you’ll be amazed at some of the meals you can come up with! Your home might just become a safe and warm haven for the neighborhood, too. With a wood-burning stove in your home, we guarantee you’re going to be extremely popular with family members, friends and your neighbors!
Again, never, ever use a gas oven, a gas or charcoal grill or a generator as a source of indoor heat. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless and deadly gas.
During hot weather, use battery-powered fans if you have them. Close blinds or curtains during the hottest part of the day to keep the sun out and move to the basement, the coolest part of the house.
If conditions are extreme, especially for people with special needs, older adults or young children, consider moving temporarily to a friend or family member’s home, cooling center, warming center or other appropriate location.
DEVELOP A PLAN FOR LONGER POWER OUTAGES
Preparing for an outage of a few hours is relatively simple. However, serious electrical problems lasting several days require more thought. For longer power failures, discuss and consider:
- How will you get drinking water?
- How will you prepare meals?
- How will you keep medications at the proper temperature?
- How will you stay informed?
- Where will you go if your home becomes too hot or too cold?
- How will family members communicate?
- How will you keep phones and other essential devices charged?
- Are your cars’ fuel tanks and small portable gas tanks filled?
You don’t necessarily need to have all the answers in advance. But giving serious thought to these questions can help you respond quickly and calmly if an extended outage occurs.
A LITTLE THOUGHT AND PREPARATION TODAY GOES A LONG WAY TOMORROW
A power outage isn’t something that anyone looks forward to. But it doesn’t have to be a major disruption to your family. With some basic supplies, a little planning and a willingness to make the best of a lousy situation, your family can still be comfortable while you wait for the lights to come back on.
Keep food and water on hand. Charge your power banks. Have flashlights where you can find them. Know how you’re going to communicate with family members. Keep games and books available for the kids. And if you enjoy cooking outdoors, make sure your grill or other outdoor cooking equipment is ready to go.
Most importantly, remember that preparation isn’t about expecting the worst. It’s about making everyday life a little easier when something unexpected happens. Look at it as an adventure with your family! Whether the power is out for 12 hours, 12 days or somewhere in between, a little preparation can help your family stay safe, comfortable and perhaps most importantly, in good spirits until the lights come back on.
