Power outages are more than just sitting in the dark. The refrigerator stops running and everything starts to defrost. If you live in the tropical climate, the air conditioning is the first to shut off and so are the ceiling fans. Out come the flashlights, and portable fans, and you just sit quietly, waiting for the power to return. Most power outages, caused by accidents that compromise power lines, are usually repaired in a day or two. In the case of winter storms, power outages can last for weeks.

Steps

  1. A blizzard-prone area will be different from one in a tropical area that commonly faces hurricanes. Urban areas face different challenges than rural areas.
  2. If the temperature rises, take anything out of the refrigerator that might spoil and prepare to cook it or consume it before it warms up. Eat perishables before spoilage can occur.[1]
  3. Those that do not require cooking are even better.[2]
    • Canned meats, fish, soups, vegetables, and juices will work, and can be kept for months at a time. Crackers, cookies and snacks for the kiddies are a necessity. Eat these items after the perishables are eaten or are unsafe to eat.
    • To make perishables last longer, avoid opening the fridge unless absolutely necessary. The air in the fridge will remain cold for a limited amount of time, even after the power goes out. But the more you expose it to room temperature, the faster it will warm up and the faster your food will spoil. You can also minimize heat gain by packing everything in the fridge tightly together.
  4. A camping stove is ideal (and be sure to know how to use it safely — see warnings). A barbecue grill will work quite well, but do not bring it into the house. (You don't want carbon monoxide poisoning.) A gas stove can often work if you have matches for ignition. Remember to have plenty of fuel on hand for your camp stove or barbecue in case your adventure lasts several days.[3]
    • Water is actually more important than food, and if your water supply is pump-driven, it may give out in a power failure. Put aside many gallons or liters of drinking water. Fill your bathtub or pails with water for flushing the toilet, washing, and so on.[4]
    • Read the article titled How to Get Emergency Drinking Water from a Water Heater.
  5. Do you need to stock up on wood for the wood stove? You should consider buying portable fans, and cold water rinses to stay cool. If your home runs on natural gas or propane, install a gas fired fireplace that has its own thermopile electronic ignition. Should you get a gas-powered generator?[5]
  6. Prepare by equipping your house with automatic power failure safety lighting so that it does not go dark when the power goes out. Many of the commercial style emergency lights look pretty bad on the wall of your kitchen or living room, and they typically only last 90 minutes - day or night.[6]
    • Try to find power failure safety lights that sense darkness before going on. Otherwise the batteries will be dead before darkness comes.
    • New power failure safety lights just hitting the market deliver light for long periods of time because of the improvements in LED brightness and battery life.
    • Look for power failure safety lights on the web and find ones that you can install in any room of your home without being an eyesore. Start with the kitchen and bathrooms - the two most used rooms of the house.
  7. Go to the mall, or take in a movie. Have a few good meals at a nearby diner or at a fast food restaurant.
    • Unless you are snowbound, or ill, there is no reason to stay indoors and be uncomfortable. There's plenty of time for that when it gets too late to stay out.
  8. A few basic necessities can be plugged into these. Think lights, fans, laptops, cell-phones and radios. Don't expect to power your whole home off of one of these. Some portable power generators can even power your refrigerator.[7]
  9. Turn on your flashlight only when you need to move about. You can make up your own games, sing songs, or practice the ancient art of talking with one another. Be playful if possible.
    • Read a book to pass the time. Remember, this can only be done during the daylight hours. At night, the best thing is to go to sleep. Time passes faster when you sleep, especially when there is nothing else to do but wait.
  10. These will light a room better than a flashlight.[8] Also, keep a "manual" can opener handy to open animal food cans as well as other preserves.
  11. [9] Cell phones will also lose their charge quickly, so having a battery powered cell phone charger is also a good idea.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I sleep when the power is out?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If it's winter, get together as many blankets and sheets as possible. It's going to get really cold in your house. Then, simply ration them out to every member of your household. Stay aware of the temperature; if it get's too cold, you may have to huddle together. At other times of the year, this isn't such a problem. Use as many blankets and coverings are necessary and follow your usual routine. If it's hot, open the windows. If it's VERY hot, go to a friend or family member's house or a shelter.
  • Question
    What do I do if I'm bored?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Talk to other people around you. If you are alone, go for a walk or read a book by candlelight/flashlight.
  • Question
    The power has been out for days. All food will need to be tossed. There is no repair date in sight. Should I leave the refrigerator and freezer open or closed?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If you have rotting food in there that you can't dispose of right now, keep it closed so it doesn't make your whole house smell bad. If you've already tossed the food, it doesn't really matter if it's open or closed, especially if it's already been days.
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Tips

  • When the power does fail and the lights go out leaving you in pitch black darkness, do not jump up immediately to find your flash lights. Take a minute or two to let your eyes adjust to the darkness before moving. You'll be surprised how much better you can see and you won't be as likely to hurt yourself by walking into a table, wall, door, etc.
  • Remember that portable phones don't work during a blackout. Make sure you have at least one wired phone in the house. A cell phone will usually work, but keep a car charger handy in case your battery runs low.
  • Don't keep phoning the power company to find out how long you will remain without power. Once is really enough. The power company is most likely full of dedicated, trained individuals who know that your power is off, and are trying to fix the problem. Nagging them isn't somehow going to make the power go on any quicker, and can tie up phone lines in a true emergency.
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Warnings

  • This guide refers to regular, few day long power outages only. This does not refer to hurricanes or tornadoes, or other storms that also cause power outages and tear down and destroy power lines. The preparation is more intense when power goes down because of storms and breakages. If this is the case, it may be time to evacuate the home.
  • Exercise extreme caution when using a generator and ensure all extension cords are properly sized and UL listed. Generators can and do electrocute people.
  • Barbecue grills and camp stoves can kill you from fires and carbon monoxide emissions. Use with extreme caution and never bring gas fired equipment into your house or garage.
  • Candles, if used improperly, can cause fire. More than 140 people die each year from candle related home fires according to the National Fire Protection agency. Nearly one-third from using candles for lighting. Candles are not recommended as light sources during power failures. Flashlights are far safer.
  • Gasoline powered generators kill people when used indoors or in attached garages that allow the fumes to flow into the home. Carbon monoxide is odorless and your carbon dioxide detectors will probably not work without electricity. Never use a generator in your home, garage, or other closed environment!
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Things You'll Need

  • Non-perishable food items
  • Flashlights
  • A gas stove, barbecue grill, or camping stove
  • Ignition for the stove, such as matches or a lighter


About this article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 44 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 299,630 times.
80 votes - 77%
Co-authors: 44
Updated: February 6, 2020
Views: 299,630
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 299,630 times.

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