What Should I Prepare Before a Planned Power Outage at Home?

What Should I Prepare Before a Planned Power Outage at Home?

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Information current as of 09/10/2026.

Before a planned power outage, charge phones, power banks, rechargeable lights, radios, medical devices, and other essential battery-powered equipment. Set out flashlights or battery-powered lanterns, prepare water and ready-to-eat food, protect refrigerated items with a cooler and ice, and plan for medicines, pets, infants, older adults, and anyone who depends on powered medical equipment. Use generators only outdoors and never connect a portable generator directly to household wiring.

24–48 Hours Before the Outage

[“☐ Check your utility’s outage notice for the scheduled timing, expected duration, contact method, and any updated instructions.”, ‘☐ Enroll in or confirm local emergency alerts if available, and keep a paper contact list in case household devices lose power.’, ‘☐ Charge phones, power banks, rechargeable lights, radios, laptops, medical devices, and other essential battery-powered equipment.’, ‘☐ Gather ready-to-eat or shelf-stable food, drinking water, prescription medicines, and supplies for household members who need extra assistance.’, ‘☐ Plan for pets, infants, older adults, and people with disabilities or accessibility needs.’]

Charging and Communications

[‘☐ Fully charge phones and power banks before the outage.’, ‘☐ Prepare alternative phone-charging methods and keep a battery-powered or crank radio available.’, “☐ Keep a paper list of important contacts and the utility’s outage-reporting information.”, ‘☐ Use local utility notices and emergency-management instructions for changes to the outage schedule or available support.’]

Lighting and Household Equipment

[‘☐ Put flashlights or battery-powered lanterns where everyone can find them, and set aside spare batteries.’, ‘☐ Prefer flashlights and battery-powered lanterns instead of candles or kerosene lanterns.’, ‘☐ Before the outage, turn off or unplug major appliances and sensitive electronics, while leaving one light on to show when power returns.’, ‘☐ Do not make household wiring changes, remove electrical covers, or bypass utility equipment.’]

Food, Water, and Medicines

[‘☐ Prepare drinking water and food that can be eaten without electricity.’, ‘☐ Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed during the outage.’, ‘☐ Check refrigerator and freezer appliance thermometers, and prepare a cooler, ice, or frozen gel packs if the outage may be prolonged.’, ‘☐ An unopened refrigerator generally keeps food safe for up to 4 hours; a full freezer can keep food safe for about 48 hours. Follow current CDC food-safety guidance when deciding what to keep.’, ‘☐ Review prescription and refrigerated-medicine requirements before the outage and make a plan for any medicine that needs temperature control.’]

Medical, Accessibility, Pet, and Infant Needs

[‘☐ Verify how long backup batteries will operate electrically powered medical equipment.’, ‘☐ Notify your utility or network operator if someone in the home depends on electrically powered medical equipment or needs extra assistance.’, ‘☐ Prepare supplies and a support plan for people with disabilities, older adults, infants, and pets.’, ‘☐ Keep home-use medical devices, prescription medicines, water, and emergency food together so they are easy to access.’]

Generator and Electrical Safety

[‘☐ Operate a portable generator outdoors at least 20 feet from windows, doors, vents, and garages.’, ‘☐ Never use a generator, grill, camp stove, lantern, or other fuel-burning device inside a home, basement, garage, tent, or camper, and never use one to heat the home.’, “☐ Never connect a portable generator directly to household wiring. Use only arrangements that comply with the manufacturer’s instructions, utility requirements, and local codes.”, ‘☐ If appliances are connected to a generator, use individual heavy-duty, outdoor-rated extension cords; do not use damaged or overloaded cords, chain power strips, or treat extension cords as permanent wiring.’, ‘☐ Use a battery-powered or battery-backup carbon-monoxide detector in the home when a generator is operating.’]

When Power Returns

[“☐ Wait for the utility’s instructions if it provides restoration guidance.”, ‘☐ Check that the light left on before the outage is operating, then reconnect appliances and electronics carefully.’, ‘☐ Inspect refrigerated and frozen food using appliance-thermometer readings and current food-safety guidance rather than relying only on appearance or smell.’, ‘☐ Stop using any generator and fuel-burning equipment safely according to its instructions, and continue following carbon-monoxide safety precautions.’]

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