what to do when the power goes out

If you're reading this on your phone at 2 AM because the lights just went dark, start here. Everything is in order of priority. Do the first thing. Then do the next thing. Don't skip ahead. I wrote this so you don't have to think — just follow the steps.

the first 5 minutes

Don't panic. Breathe. Most outages end within an hour. But you need to do a few things right now to avoid making a short outage into an expensive one.

1. Check if it's just your house. Look out a window. Can you see lights at your neighbors' places? If their lights are on and yours are off, it's likely a tripped breaker or a problem with your service line. Go to your electrical panel and see if any breakers have flipped to the middle position. Push them fully off, then back on. If nothing trips again, you're done.

2. If the whole street is dark, it's a grid outage. This is the more common situation. You're going to wait. How long depends on what broke and how many people are affected.

3. Report it. Call your utility company or use their app. Most utilities have automated outage reporting now. The more people who report, the faster they dispatch crews. Find your utility's number before you need it — here's how.

4. Unplug sensitive electronics. This is the step most people skip, and it's the one that costs them money. When power comes back, it often surges. That surge can fry your TV, computer, router, gaming console — anything with delicate circuitry. Unplug them now. Leave your fridge and freezer plugged in (they can handle a surge). But the expensive stuff? Unplug it.

5. Turn off a few lights, but leave one on. You want to know the instant power comes back. Leave one light switched on so you'll see it. Turn the rest off to reduce load on the grid when it restores — simultaneous demand from every house on the block can cause another trip.

the first hour

Okay. You've done the immediate stuff. Power's still out. Here's what to focus on now.

food: do not open that fridge

I know you want to check on things. Don't. Every time you open the refrigerator door, you let cold air out and warm air in. A closed refrigerator will keep food at safe temperatures for about 4 hours. A full freezer holds for 24 to 48 hours. A half-full freezer gives you about 24 hours.

That clock starts now. Do not reset it by opening the door to "just check."

I wrote a full breakdown here: how long does food last without power. It covers specific foods, temperatures, and when you need to throw things away. But for right now, the rule is simple: keep the doors closed.

light

Gather your flashlights. If you don't have flashlights — and I'm not judging, but we're going to fix that — use your phone sparingly. Phone flashlights drain battery fast, and you need that battery for communication.

Better options: battery-powered lanterns, headlamps, candles (use with extreme caution — more house fires start from candles during power outages than any other cause). If you have kids, give them each a glow stick or a small lantern. It helps them feel less scared and keeps them from tripping over things in the dark.

Long-term, you want at least one battery lantern per room you'll use during an outage, plus a headlamp for tasks. I keep mine in a dedicated outage kit so I'm not fumbling through drawers at 2 AM.

if you have a generator

Good. This is what it's for. Here's the safe startup procedure.

1. Move the generator outside. Not in the garage. Not under the carport. Not in the basement. Outside. At least 20 feet from any door, window, or vent. Exhaust pointing away from the house. I'll say it again below in a box you can't miss, because this is the thing that kills people.

2. Check the oil and fuel. If your generator has been sitting since the last outage, the oil may be low or stale. Top it off. Check the fuel. If you're running gasoline, make sure it hasn't been sitting in the tank for more than 6 months without stabilizer.

3. Start the generator before connecting anything. Let it warm up for 2-3 minutes. Listen for smooth operation. If it's sputtering, you've got a fuel issue — likely old gas.

4. Connect appliances one at a time. Don't plug everything in at once. Start with the most important load — typically the refrigerator. Then add the next. Watch the generator. If it bogs down or the lights dim, you've exceeded its capacity. Remove the last thing you added.

5. Use heavy-duty extension cords. Those thin indoor extension cords will overheat. You need outdoor-rated, 12-gauge or 10-gauge cords rated for the wattage you're running. If the cord is warm to the touch, it's undersized. Replace it before it starts a fire.

If you're not sure what your generator can handle, use my generator sizing calculator to figure out which appliances fit within your wattage.

if you don't have a generator

That's okay. Most people don't. You can get through this. But you need to prioritize.

Priority 1: phone charging. Your phone is your lifeline. It's your flashlight, your communication, your access to utility updates. If you have a portable battery pack, use it. If you don't, turn on low power mode right now. Turn off Bluetooth, location services, background app refresh. Reduce screen brightness. You're in conservation mode.

If you have a car, you can charge your phone from the car's USB port. Do not run the car in a closed garage. Same carbon monoxide rules as generators.

Priority 2: medications. If anyone in your house depends on refrigerated medications — insulin is the big one — you're on a clock. Insulin can survive at room temperature for about 28 days (check your specific type), but other medications may be more sensitive. If the outage looks like it will be extended, call your pharmacist or doctor. Know where the nearest hospital or emergency shelter is.

Priority 3: infants and elderly. Babies and older adults don't regulate temperature as well. In winter, bundle them up in layers. In summer, get them to the coolest room in the house (usually the lowest floor). If temperatures become dangerous — below 50 or above 95 inside — it's time to leave.

Priority 4: information. Listen to a battery-powered or hand-crank radio. Local AM stations typically carry emergency information. If you have cell service, check your utility's website or outage map. Most utilities give estimated restoration times once they've assessed the damage.

water

This catches people off guard. If you're on city or municipal water, you'll probably still have water pressure for a while. Municipal systems have backup pumps and gravity-fed tanks. You might notice reduced pressure, but you'll have water.

If you're on well water, you have no water without power.

Read that again. Your well pump is electric. No electricity means no water. Not for drinking, not for flushing toilets, not for washing your hands. Nothing.

If you're on well water and you don't have a generator or a backup plan for your well pump, you need one. Fill your bathtub now if you still have pressure from residual tank storage. Fill every large container you can find. That water is for flushing toilets — about 1.6 gallons per flush — and basic hygiene.

For drinking water, use bottled water. If you don't have bottled water, we need to talk about your preparation level, but that's a conversation for after the lights are back on.

I wrote a detailed guide on this: well water during a power outage. If you're on a well, it's required reading.

heating and cooling

winter: pipes are the enemy

Cold weather outages are more dangerous than hot weather outages. Not because of comfort — because of your plumbing. When your house drops below 55 degrees, your pipes are at risk. Below 32 degrees inside, they will freeze. Frozen pipes burst. Burst pipes flood your house. A burst pipe in a power outage — when you can't run a shop vac or call a plumber who's already slammed with emergency calls — is a catastrophe.

If the temperature inside your house is dropping toward 50 degrees:

• Open cabinet doors under sinks to expose pipes to warmer room air
• Let faucets drip slightly — moving water is harder to freeze
• Close off rooms you're not using. Pick one room for the family to stay in and close the doors to everything else
• Hang blankets over windows for insulation
• If you have a fireplace or wood stove, now is the time

If the temperature inside drops below 40 degrees and you have no way to heat: Leave. Go to a shelter, a friend's house, a hotel. Pipes can be dealt with. Hypothermia can't.

summer: heat is a slow killer

In a summer outage, your biggest risk is heat-related illness, especially for children, elderly, and anyone on medications that affect temperature regulation.

• Move to the lowest level of your house (heat rises)
• Close blinds and curtains on sun-facing windows
• Drink water constantly, even if you're not thirsty
• Wet towels on the back of the neck and wrists help
• If you have a battery-powered fan, use it
• If indoor temperature exceeds 95 degrees, especially with high humidity, get out

A generator running a single window AC unit or a couple of fans can make a summer outage survivable. If you're in the South or Southwest, a generator isn't a luxury. It's a safety device. Check my guide on what size generator you need for an air conditioner.

food safety timeline

Here's the quick version. For the complete guide with specific foods, temperatures, and "keep or toss" decisions, go to how long does food last without power.

The USDA rule: if a perishable food has been above 40 degrees for more than 2 hours, throw it away. "When in doubt, throw it out" isn't just a saying — it's the difference between an inconvenience and food poisoning during a crisis when hospitals are already overwhelmed.

communication

Staying informed is staying safe. Here's how to do it when the usual channels are down.

Your phone. Conserve the battery (see priorities above). Check your utility's website or app for outage maps and estimated restoration times. Text works when calls don't — cell towers get overloaded during widespread outages, but texts use less bandwidth.

Battery or hand-crank radio. Local AM radio stations carry emergency information during major events. If you don't own one, add it to the list of things you're buying after this is over. A basic one costs $20.

Your car. If all else fails, your car has a radio and a way to charge your phone. Just don't idle it in a closed garage.

Neighbors. Check on them, especially if they're elderly or live alone. This isn't just being nice — it's practical. They might have information you don't. They might have a generator. You might have water they need. Communities that talk to each other survive outages better than isolated houses.

if it's been more than 24 hours

Now it's getting serious. A 24-hour outage is no longer an inconvenience. It's an event. Here's where your decision-making matters.

Food decisions. Open the fridge now. Evaluate what's still cold. Use a food thermometer if you have one — anything above 40 degrees that's been there for more than 2 hours needs to go. Your freezer may still be okay if it's been closed, but start planning to cook or consume thawing items. A gas grill works fine for this.

Alternative shelter. If you can't maintain a safe temperature inside your house — roughly 50 to 95 degrees — start making calls. Friends, family, hotels, community shelters. Waiting until the last minute is how people get into dangerous situations. Make the call now, even if you think power might come back soon. Having a plan B is not defeat. It's smart.

Neighbor check-ins. Knock on doors. Especially the elderly neighbor who lives alone. Especially the house with the new baby. Especially the family you know has medical equipment that runs on electricity. Don't assume someone else is checking. Be the person who checks.

Water reassessment. If you're on a well, you're likely out of stored water by now. If you haven't already, look into emergency well water options. If you're on municipal water, check if there's a boil-water advisory — extended power outages can affect water treatment facilities.

Fuel management. If you're running a generator, do the math on your remaining fuel. How many gallons do you have? How many hours per gallon does your generator burn? Gas stations need power to pump fuel — in a widespread outage, you might not be able to refuel. Ration accordingly. Run the generator in cycles: 4 hours on to keep the fridge cold, 2 hours off to conserve fuel.

before the next one

If you're reading this after the lights came back on, good. Now is when you do the things you wished you'd done 48 hours ago.

Build an outage kit. Flashlights, batteries, battery lanterns, a hand-crank radio, a first aid kit, a manual can opener, basic tools. Put it all in one container. Label it. Put it somewhere you can find in the dark. I keep mine in a milk crate by the back door. Total cost: under $100. Check my power outage kit guide for the full list.

Buy a generator. I don't care if it's a $400 portable or a $15,000 whole-home standby. Get something. A basic portable generator running your fridge and a few lights changes everything about how you experience an outage. If you want more coverage, read my guide on what size generator you need and use the sizing calculator.

Consider battery backup. If you want something that runs silently, starts automatically, and doesn't need fuel, a battery backup system might be the right move. They cost more upfront, but they have zero maintenance and zero noise. I compared the two approaches in generator vs. battery backup.

Get a transfer switch. If you're going to use a generator to power your house, do it right. A transfer switch lets your generator connect to your electrical panel safely and legally. No extension cords running through windows. No backfeeding that kills a lineworker.

Store water. FEMA recommends one gallon per person per day for three days. Minimum. If you're on a well, double that. Keep it in food-grade containers and rotate it every six months.

Store fuel. If you have a gas generator, keep at least 10 gallons of treated fuel on hand. Use fuel stabilizer — fresh gasoline starts degrading within 30 days. With stabilizer, it lasts up to a year. Store it in approved containers, away from your house.

Know your utility. Save their outage reporting number in your phone. Download their app. Know where to find their outage map. This takes 5 minutes and it saves you 20 minutes of fumbling in the dark.