Power outage preparedness.

Why this matters more than it used to

US customer-hours of interruption have roughly doubled over the last decade, and the entire increase is major weather events. Hurricanes, ice storms, wildfires, and heat-driven grid strain now regularly produce outages measured in days, not hours. In fire-prone parts of California, Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) intentionally cut power to millions of customers during Red Flag conditions.

Food and water

• One gallon of water per person per day, for a week. Half for drinking, half for hygiene and cooking.
• Non-perishable food that doesn't need cooking. Peanut butter, tuna pouches, crackers, dried fruit, nut bars. A manual can opener.
• Keep the fridge closed. Safe for about 4 hours. After that, transfer perishables to a cooler on ice.
• Freezer strategy. A full freezer holds ~48 hours if the door stays closed. Fill empty freezer space with jugs of water so it holds longer and gives you drinking water later.
• When in doubt, throw it out. Any food above 40°F for more than 2 hours is a gamble.

Light and power

• Battery-powered LED lanterns and headlamps in every bedroom. Candles cause house fires every year during outages — don't.
• USB power banks totaling at least 40,000 mAh for the household. Recharge quarterly.
• A NOAA weather radio, hand-crank or battery.
• Car USB adapters — a modern car becomes a decent phone-charging station if you can idle it briefly in a well-ventilated area.

Medical continuity

If anyone in the household depends on electricity for medical reasons — CPAP, home oxygen concentrator, dialysis, refrigerated insulin, powered mobility — you need a plan that survives 72 hours minimum:

• Register with the utility's medical baseline program. Some utilities give priority restoration; all give advance PSPS notice.
• Buy or rent a battery backup rated for at least 24 hours of your specific device. CPAP-specific batteries exist.
• Identify a fallback destination — a family member's house on a different circuit, a hotel with generator, or a hospital.
• Keep 7 days of insulin and refrigerated meds; the pharmacy can advise on how long each survives at room temperature.

Generators — done right

Portable generators kill people every outage, almost always by carbon monoxide. Rules that are not optional:

• Outdoors only. Never inside, never in a garage — open or closed. At least 20 feet from any window, door, or vent.
• CO detectors in every sleeping area. Battery-powered, with fresh batteries.
• No backfeeding. Plugging a generator into a wall outlet electrifies the neighborhood and can kill utility workers. Use a proper interlock kit or transfer switch installed by an electrician.
• Store fuel safely. Gasoline outdoors in an approved container. Stabilizer if it will sit more than a month.

For most households a 3,000-5,000 W inverter generator (quiet, cleaner power for electronics) covers the fridge, a few lights, phone charging, and a window AC or space heater. Whole-home standby generators make sense mostly for medical dependencies or long-outage regions.

Heat and cold

Loss of power in extreme weather is the outage that kills. Two rules:

• Heat. Move to the coolest room, close blinds, and drink water. If indoor temperature climbs above 90°F for more than a few hours, relocate to a cooling center or a friend's house on a different circuit. Never use a gas oven for heat.
• Cold. Consolidate into one room, seal it with blankets over doorways, wear layers. Do not use a gas oven, charcoal grill, or camp stove indoors for heat — CO risk. Battery-powered space heaters exist but are limited; the safer plan is a warm shelter.

Communications and information

• Charge every device to full when a storm is forecast.
• Send a status text to your out-of-area contact at the start of the outage so they know you're out — cell networks may drop later.
• Keep a printed list of important numbers; when your phone dies, you'll wish you had it.