WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT
A step-by-step protocol for the first hour, the first day, and an extended outage. What to protect, what to monitor, and when to leave.
MINUTES 0–60
Most people improvise through the first 20 minutes and regret it. Work through these five steps in order. They take under 15 minutes and prevent the problems that make long outages hard.
Check your utility's outage map on your phone. If neighbors have power and you don't, the problem may be your panel or meter, not the grid. A tripped main breaker is a five-second fix.
Computers, televisions, and gaming consoles are vulnerable to the voltage spike when power returns. Unplug them now, or at minimum turn off their power strips. Leave one lamp on so you know when power is restored.
Get a headlamp on every person who needs one, place a lantern in the main gathering area, and put a flashlight in reach of any bedroom. Do this before it gets dark, not after.
A closed refrigerator stays safe for about four hours. A closed freezer holds for 48 hours if full, 24 if half-full. Every time the door opens you lose an hour. Decide now what you'll eat first and close the door.
Your utility's outage map usually shows a restoration estimate. Under four hours changes nothing. Four to 24 hours means you start thinking about food. Over 24 hours changes everything below.
HOURS 1–24
Once the first hour is handled, your priorities shift. Food decisions, water, medical equipment, communication, and household security all need attention before the end of the first day.
Eat refrigerator food first — it spoils fastest. Freezer items can wait up to 48 hours in a full, closed freezer. Pantry food and camp stove cooking come last.
Do not open the refrigerator to check it. Instead, use a refrigerator thermometer. Food is unsafe above 40°F after two hours. When in doubt, throw it out.
Municipal water usually flows during a short outage. If you are on a well with an electric pump, you have no water until power returns.
Fill the bathtub now if you have any concern about extended outage. One gallon per person per day is the baseline for drinking and basic hygiene.
CPAPs, home oxygen concentrators, nebulizers, and insulin that requires refrigeration all need attention. If you have a UPS, switch to it now. Check how many hours of backup it provides.
If you are registered with your utility as a medical baseline customer, they should already know. If you are not registered, do it before the next outage.
Charge every phone now while power banks are full. Cell towers run on backup generators — typically 8 to 24 hours before they may degrade. A battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio gives you information without burning phone battery.
Let one person outside your household know your situation and estimated restore time.
Electric garage doors can be manually released. Do this before dark if you may need to leave. Electronic deadbolts that use batteries are typically unaffected by outages, but verify yours now.
Motion-sensor solar lights outside, if you have them, continue to function. Interior lighting patterns change — consider that during an extended evening outage.
Monitor indoor temperature. A well-insulated house stays comfortable for many hours. A poorly insulated one can become dangerous faster than expected in extreme heat or cold.
In summer, close blinds on sun-facing windows. In winter, close off rooms you don't need and concentrate household members in one space.
DAYS 2 AND BEYOND
Extended outages, typically from major storms or grid events, follow a predictable arc. The challenges shift from convenience to genuine safety over the first 72 hours.
By the 24-hour mark, a half-full freezer is approaching its safe limit. Cook or grill freezer meat now if you have a gas grill or camp stove. Share with neighbors. Most food can be safely cooked and eaten even if it has partially thawed.
If you are running a generator, calculate remaining fuel and plan resupply. Gas stations need power to run pumps — many will be out. Check stored water supply. If you are on municipal water, a boil advisory may be in effect.
At 72 hours, reassess staying vs. leaving. If indoor temperatures have become dangerous, medical supplies are running low, or no restoration timeline is available, moving to a family member's home or public shelter is the practical choice, not a defeat.
KNOW THE THRESHOLD
Staying home is usually the right call. These are the conditions that change the answer.
Above 90°F for any household member, especially children, elderly adults, or anyone with a heart condition. Below 50°F when young children, elderly adults, or anyone with a medical condition is present.
Backup power for life-sustaining equipment is running low and no restore estimate is available. Do not wait for it to run out before making a decision.
Leave immediately and call 911. Do not re-enter until cleared. CO is odorless and comes from generators, gas ranges used for heat, and charcoal burned indoors.
If your utility cannot give an estimated restore time and you are past 48 hours, moving to a warming or cooling center, a hotel, or a family member is the practical choice.
PRINTABLE REFERENCE
Phones die. Screens are hard to read in the dark. A printed one-page checklist in your kitchen drawer is worth more than a dozen bookmarks.
POWER OUTAGE CHECKLIST
First Hour
First Day
Leave if…
The full printable PDF checklist is in the Printables library.