How to Prepare Your Home for a Power Outage

A power outage can interrupt far more than lighting. Depending on your home and the weather, it may affect refrigeration, phone charging, heating or air conditioning, water access, sump pumps, garage doors, and medical equipment.

Preparing before an outage helps your household respond safely and calmly. Focus on four priorities: essential supplies, communication, safe food and water, and a plan for maintaining safe temperatures and critical power needs.

Understand How an Outage Could Affect Your Home

The risks of an outage depend on its duration, local weather, and the systems your household relies on. Think through what would happen if electricity were unavailable for several hours—or several days.

Your plan should account for:

• Children, older adults, and anyone who may need extra support
• Pets, including food, water, medication, leashes, and carriers
• Refrigerated medications and medical devices that need electricity
• Well pumps, electric water heaters, filtration systems, septic pumps, sump pumps, and toilets that may depend on power
• Electric garage doors, electric stoves, and electrically powered heating or cooling systems
• Transportation needs, including vehicle fuel and electric-vehicle charging
• Nearby neighbors who may need a safe check-in during an extended outage

If your home uses a private well, electric pump, or powered water-treatment system, do not assume tap water will be available during an outage. Store potable water in advance and find out which plumbing, pumping, and treatment systems will still function without electricity.

Build an Emergency Supply Kit for Blackouts

Keep outage supplies in a place that is easy to reach in the dark, such as a labeled bin or closet near your main living area. Tailor the kit to your household, but cover lighting, first aid, food, water, communication, and comfort.

Core blackout supplies

Include:

• Flashlights or battery-powered lanterns, plus spare batteries
• A battery-powered or hand-crank radio
• A first-aid kit
• Drinking water and nonperishable food
• A manual can opener and basic eating utensils
• Charged power banks, charging cables, and vehicle phone chargers if available
• Needed medications and copies of prescription information
• Hygiene items, such as toilet paper, soap, hand sanitizer, and wipes
• Blankets, warm layers, sturdy shoes, and weather-appropriate clothing
• Pet food, water, medication, and other pet supplies
• Cash in small bills, since card readers and ATMs may not work

Use flashlights or battery-powered lanterns instead of candles. Candles create a fire risk, especially when people are tired or when children and pets are present.

Make a Household Communication and Safety Plan

A simple plan helps household members know what to do if the power fails while they are at work, school, or away from home.

Choose an out-of-area contact that everyone can call or text to check in with. Brief text messages may work better than calls when local networks are congested. Keep key phone numbers on paper in case phones cannot be charged or accessed.

Your printed information should include:

• Emergency contacts
• Healthcare providers and pharmacies
• Insurance information
• Your utility’s outage-reporting number
• Local emergency-alert information
• Medical instructions and device backup information

Sign up for alerts from your local emergency-management agency when available, and learn how your electric utility accepts outage reports. Availability and sign-up methods vary by community.

Plan for medical and mobility needs

If someone in your household uses powered medical equipment, discuss an outage backup plan with their healthcare provider and equipment supplier. Identify battery options, alternate locations with power, transportation needs, and the point at which emergency help is needed.

Some utilities offer medical-needs or priority-notification programs. Check with your local utility to see whether a program is available, but do not rely on enrollment as a guarantee of uninterrupted power or faster restoration.

Consider arranging safe check-ins with nearby neighbors, particularly people who live alone or have mobility, health, or transportation challenges.

Protect Food, Water, and Essential Medications

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. An appliance thermometer makes it easier to judge whether food stayed at a safe temperature.

According to the USDA’s food-safety guidance for power outages, refrigerators should be at or below 40°F, and freezers should be at or below 0°F.

When in doubt, do not taste food to decide whether it is safe. Follow current USDA, FDA, or local public-health guidance, and discard perishable food that has been above safe temperatures for too long.

Keep shelf-stable food and stored drinking water on hand so your household is not entirely dependent on refrigeration or electrically powered water systems.

If medications need refrigeration, ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider in advance how they should be stored during an outage and what to do if they warm beyond the recommended range. Have a separate plan for medical equipment that requires power.

Plan for Safe Lighting, Heating, and Cooling

During an outage, focus on keeping people safely warm or cool rather than trying to maintain the entire house at its usual temperature.

Staying warm safely

In cold weather, wear layers, use blankets, and gather household members in a warm area when practical. Closing doors to unused rooms may help retain available heat.

Never use fuel-burning appliances, grills, camp stoves, or other devices indoors unless they are specifically designed and approved for indoor use. These devices can create a fire risk or produce deadly carbon monoxide.

If indoor conditions become unsafe, go to a designated warming center, a trusted home with power, or another safe shelter location. Check local emergency updates for available sites rather than assuming one will be open.

Managing heat during an outage

For hot-weather outages, plan for drinking water, shade, light clothing, and a way to reach an air-conditioned public location if needed. Local cooling centers, libraries, and community buildings may be available during prolonged heat emergencies.

Check often on children, older adults, pets, and people with health conditions that make heat more dangerous. A fan may improve comfort, but it is not a substitute for air conditioning or a cooler location during extreme heat.

Use Generators and Backup Power Safely

Generators and portable power stations can help power essential devices, but they require planning and careful use. Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for every device.

A fuel-burning generator must run outdoors only. The CDC recommends placing generators at least 20 feet from doors, windows, and vents, with the exhaust directed away from the home. Never operate a generator in a garage, basement, shed, crawlspace, or any enclosed or partially enclosed area—even if doors or windows are open.

Generator exhaust contains carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas that can be deadly. Install carbon monoxide alarms according to their manufacturer instructions and maintain them regularly.

If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds or you suspect exposure, move everyone outside to fresh air immediately. Call 911 or your local fire department as appropriate, and do not re-enter the home until emergency responders say it is safe.

Do not connect a portable generator directly to household wiring. Backfeeding can endanger utility workers and damage your home’s electrical system. A generator that powers household circuits needs an appropriately installed transfer switch and qualified electrical work.

Store generator fuel in approved containers away from ignition sources. Charge portable power stations and battery backups before forecast storms or other events that could interrupt service.

Take Last-Minute Steps Before an Expected Outage

When severe weather or another potential outage is approaching, take a few practical steps while power and internet service are still available:

• Charge phones, power banks, radios, medical-device batteries, and other essential rechargeable devices.
• Fill vehicle fuel tanks, or charge an electric vehicle if you may need transportation.
• Set refrigerators and freezers according to the appliance manufacturer’s instructions. Do not use a setting that could unnecessarily freeze refrigerator contents.
• Bring flashlights, batteries, and other supplies to an easy-to-reach location.
• Download local maps, emergency information, and important documents for offline access.
• Unplug sensitive electronics or use appropriate surge protection to reduce the risk of damage when power returns.
• Learn how to use your automatic garage door’s manual release safely, if applicable.

Know What to Do During and After the Outage

When the power goes out, use battery-powered lighting, conserve phone battery life, and monitor official updates through a radio, phone, or other available source. Avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer unless necessary.

Report the outage to your utility if needed, and follow local emergency instructions. Treat every downed power line as dangerous: stay away, keep others away, and report it to the utility or emergency authorities.

After power returns, inspect your home before resuming normal routines. Look for water leaks, damaged electrical equipment, spoiled food, or carbon monoxide alarm alerts. Have electrical equipment that was exposed to water or appears damaged evaluated before using it.

Reset clocks, appliances, and security systems carefully. Then restock used supplies and update your plan based on anything that was missing or difficult during the outage.

Keep Your Outage Plan Current

Review your supplies, contacts, medical needs, and backup-power plan periodically—especially before seasons that commonly bring severe weather. A current plan, safe backup options, and enough food, water, and lighting can make a power outage far more manageable.