Power Outage Checklist: Before, During and After

This is the one-page version: every box you need to tick, in order. Each section links to the guide that explains it in depth. Print it, stick it inside a kitchen cabinet, and check it twice a year.

Before: stock up while the power's on

Water and food

• Water: 1 gallon per person per day. At least 3 days, and try for 2 weeks (CDC). For four people that's 12 gallons, or 56 for two weeks.
• Food that needs no cooking and no fridge, for at least 3 days: canned meals, peanut butter, crackers, ration bars
• A manual can opener
• Extra food and water for pets

Light, power and information

• A flashlight or headlamp for each person, and spare batteries
• A radio that runs on batteries, a hand crank or the sun, so you still get news when the phone dies
• Power banks, charged
• Your electric provider's outage number written on paper, and its outage texts turned on

Health and warmth

• Prescription medicines and a plan for any that need the fridge (ask your pharmacist)
• Batteries for hearing aids and medical devices, and a backup power plan for any medical equipment
• A first-aid kit
• Blankets, sleeping bags and warm layers for everyone
• A working carbon monoxide alarm and smoke alarm, tested

Money, car and house

• Some cash in small bills (card readers and ATMs need power)
• A gas tank kept at least half full
• Know how to open the garage door by hand
• Copies of IDs, insurance and prescriptions in a waterproof bag

Full list by category: the 72-hour emergency kit checklist. For longer outages: how much water and food 2 weeks or 30 days takes.

When a storm is in the forecast

• Charge phones, power banks, rechargeable lights and the radio
• Fill the car's gas tank
• Fill clean containers with drinking water, and fill a bathtub for flushing toilets in case the water system loses power
• Freeze jugs of water to help keep the fridge and freezer cold
• Refill prescriptions and get cash
• Bring pets inside and have a cooler ready

During: the first hour without power

1. Check whether it's just you. Look at your breaker panel and your neighbors' windows.
2. Report the outage to your electric provider. Don't assume someone else did.
3. Unplug electronics and appliances you don't need, and leave one lamp switched on so you'll know when power is back.
4. Keep the fridge and freezer closed. About 4 hours for the fridge; about 48 hours for a full freezer, 24 if half full (FoodSafety.gov).
5. Use flashlights and headlamps, not candles.
6. Turn on the radio for news and official instructions.
7. Check on neighbors who live alone.

During: the safety rules that don't bend

• Treat every downed power line as live. Stay away and report it.
• Follow any boil-water notice. A rolling boil for 1 minute is enough (EPA).
• Stay off icy or flooded roads unless you have to drive.

Cold weather: read how to heat your home safely without power and the ice storm outage guide.

During: if it lasts more than a day

• Eat from the fridge first, then the freezer, then the pantry
• Ration batteries: one light per room, headlamps for tasks, phones on low-power mode
• Pick one room to keep warm (or cool) and gather everyone there
• Dial 211 or check your county emergency manager for warming centers, cooling centers and water distribution
• Decide early whether to stay or go. Leave when you can't keep one room at a safe temperature, when someone depends on medical equipment you can't run, or when officials tell you to.

Going past a week? The week-by-week plan for a long outage covers week 2 and day 30.

After: when the power comes back

• Plug appliances back in a few at a time
• Go through the fridge and freezer: throw out perishables that sat above 40°F for 2 hours or more. Food that still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below can be refrozen. When in doubt, throw it out; never taste-test.
• Replace any medicine that needed the fridge and got warm (ask your pharmacist)
• Recharge everything, refill the water, and restock what you used while you still remember what you were missing
• Write down what you wished you'd had, and add it to the kit

A kit for the next one

The gaps people notice in the dark are usually the same: a radio that doesn't need wall power, a light for every person, and something warm. If you'd rather buy those than gather them, here's what ours cover.

Sources

1. Ready.gov: Power Outages
2. Ready.gov: Power Outages (archived December 2020 copy, includes medicine guidance)
3. Ready.gov: Build a Kit
4. CDC: How to Create an Emergency Water Supply
5. FoodSafety.gov: Three Ways to Keep Food Safe When You Lose Power
6. CDC: Use a Generator Safely
7. CPSC: New Report on Carbon Monoxide Fatalities, Urges Generator Safety (2022)
8. EPA: Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water