Grid-Down Preparedness Checklist: How to Prepare for a Long Power Outage

Key facts

• Water: at least 1 gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation (Ready.gov). Plan for a 3-day supply to take with you and a 2-week supply at home (American Red Cross).
• Food: at least two weeks of non-perishable food at home (American Red Cross).
• Refrigeration: a closed refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours. A full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, or 24 hours if half full (CDC).
• Medications: keep a 7-day supply in your go-kit (American Red Cross), and make a plan with your provider for medicines that need refrigeration.
• Light: have a flashlight for every person in the household (Ready.gov). Use flashlights, not candles.
• Communications: a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and phone chargers with a backup battery (Ready.gov).
• Fuel-burning equipment: generators, camp stoves and charcoal grills belong outdoors only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents (CDC).
• Car: keep the gas tank at least half full (American Red Cross).

One plan for every kind of outage

Power goes out for familiar reasons: wind, ice, heat waves, equipment failures, a car hitting a pole, or a planned safety shutoff. Sometimes people also worry about bigger "grid down" scenarios, such as a cyberattack on utilities or a severe solar storm. Both are worth understanding, and we cover them in detail in Could a Cyberattack Take Down the Power Grid? and Solar Storms and the Power Grid.

For household planning, though, the cause matters much less than how long the outage lasts. The American Red Cross notes that an outage can last for days or longer and can disrupt communications, water, transportation, stores and banks. That is true whether a hurricane or a hacker caused it. Your home doesn't need a different kit for each threat. It needs enough water, food, light, warmth or cooling, medicine and information to ride out a long outage, built up in stages.

Know your regional risks

Your local risks should shape your priorities. To see what's active near you right now, check the weather alerts on our grid-threat monitor.

Risk	Where and when it's most common	What to add to your plan
Hurricanes and tropical storms	Gulf and Atlantic coasts, summer and fall	An evacuation plan, extra water, and food stored above flood level
Ice and snow storms	Anywhere ice can coat lines and trees, in winter	Warm bedding for each person and a plan for a heated place to go
Wildfire safety shutoffs (PSPS)	Fire-prone areas, mostly in the West, during dry, windy weather	Sign up for utility alerts and keep batteries charged during fire season
Heat waves	Nationwide, in summer	A cooling plan and a list of nearby cooling centers

In California, the CPUC describes Public Safety Power Shutoffs as a last-resort step utilities may take when strong winds could topple power lines and start fires. These shutoffs are planned, so signing up for your utility's alerts can give you some warning.

Your checklist by timeframe

First 24 hours: stay safe and informed

• Flashlights for every household member, plus spare batteries.
• A charged phone and at least one charged battery bank.
• A battery or hand-crank radio for local news and alerts.
• Drinking water, plus food you can eat without cooking.
• Refrigerator and freezer doors kept closed.
• Electronics unplugged to protect them from surges when power returns (Ready.gov).
• Medications for the day, and a cooler with ice packs for anything that must stay cold.

Up to 3 days: the go-kit and the stay-home basics

• 3 gallons of water per person.
• 3 days of non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food, plus a manual can opener.
• A first aid kit, a 7-day supply of medications, and medical items such as glasses, hearing aid batteries and syringes.
• Copies of key documents, some cash, and a printed list of contacts.
• Pet food, water and supplies.
• Warm layers or a blanket for each person.

Up to 2 weeks: building depth at home

• 14 gallons of water per person. Bottles you fill yourself should be replaced every six months (Ready.gov).
• Two weeks of shelf-stable food your household will actually eat.
• Enough batteries or rechargeable power to keep lights, radios and phones running.
• A heating and cooling plan that doesn't depend on running fuel-burning equipment indoors.
• A medical plan that holds up if the outage outlasts your device batteries.
• Sanitation supplies: moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (Ready.gov).

Water

Ready.gov's baseline is 1 gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation. Children, nursing mothers and sick people may need more, and in very hot weather needs can double (Ready.gov). For a family of four, a 2-week home supply is 56 gallons.

Store commercially bottled water sealed, in a cool, dark place. If you run short and have to treat water, Ready.gov recommends bringing it to a rolling boil for one full minute. If you can't boil it, add 1/8 teaspoon of plain, unscented liquid bleach (5.25–6.0% sodium hypochlorite) per gallon, stir, and wait 30 minutes. The CDC cautions that water purification systems may not work fully during an outage. If your water comes from an electric well pump, your stored water may be the only water you have.

Food and refrigeration

Stock foods that need no refrigeration and little or no cooking: canned goods, nut butters, crackers, cereal, and shelf-stable or powdered milk. Rotate them into your regular meals so nothing expires unnoticed. During an outage, eat fresh perishables first, keep the fridge and freezer closed, and use coolers with ice (American Red Cross).

Before storm season, freeze jugs of water to fill empty freezer space and put a thermometer in both the fridge and the freezer. For what to keep and what to throw out, see our fridge and freezer food safety guide.

Light, power and communications

Battery-powered flashlights and lanterns are safer than candles (CDC). Headlamps leave your hands free. Keep battery banks charged and top them up whenever bad weather is forecast.

For news, Ready.gov recommends both a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone alert. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts official National Weather Service warnings and other hazard information 24 hours a day. Check now whether your home phone will work without power and how long any battery backup lasts (Ready.gov).

If you're thinking about a generator, read our generator and carbon monoxide safety guide first.

Heat and cooling

Cold: keep a sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person (Ready.gov), and seal drafts around windows (American Red Cross). Never use a gas stove or oven to heat your home (Ready.gov). The CDC treats hypothermia as a medical emergency: get medical help right away if someone's body temperature drops below 95°F.

Heat: the CDC advises against relying solely on fans to keep cool. In extreme heat or cold, Ready.gov recommends going to a community location that has power. Your local officials can tell you which heating and cooling centers are open.

Medical needs

This is the most important part of any long-outage plan.

• Powered medical devices: ask your doctor or equipment supplier how to keep the device running during an outage. Buy an extra battery for a power wheelchair or other battery-operated devices if you can, and keep it charged (Ready.gov).
• Your utility's medical-needs program: Ready.gov suggests asking your power provider to put you on a priority list. Programs vary. MidAmerican Energy, for example, tries to notify enrolled customers before scheduled outages but says "it's not possible to give any customer priority power restoration." Enroll anyway for the notice, and keep a backup plan.
• Local registries: many city and county emergency management offices keep voluntary registries for people who may need help during a disaster (Ready.gov).
• Refrigerated medicines: the CDC says that if the power is out for a day or more, refrigerated medication should be thrown away unless its label says otherwise. Some medicines, including insulin, have room-temperature allowances on the label. Ask your pharmacist what applies to yours, and keep a cooler and ice packs ready.

Cash, fuel and documents

Outages can disrupt stores and banks, so card readers and ATMs may not work. Keep some small bills on hand. Keep the car's gas tank at least half full; a car can also charge phones. But never run a car in an attached garage, even with the door open (CDC).

Store copies of important documents electronically or in a waterproof container (Ready.gov). Include a medication list, proof of address, your deed or lease, passports, birth certificates and insurance policies (American Red Cross).

Pets and neighbors

Pets: pack several days' supply of food and water, an extra supply of any medicine in a waterproof container, copies of records, a sturdy carrier, a collar with an ID tag, and a photo of you with your pet (Ready.gov).

Neighbors: the Red Cross recommends building a support network of people who can help you stay home or evacuate during a long outage, and keeping a paper copy of their contact information. Check on older neighbors and anyone who relies on medical equipment. When the outage starts, our guide to what to do during a power outage walks through the first steps.

Printable grid-down checklist

Item	Target amount	Timeframe	Done
Drinking and sanitation water	1 gallon per person per day	3 days to go, 2 weeks at home
Non-perishable food and manual can opener	Foods your household will eat	3 days to go, 2 weeks at home
Flashlights and spare batteries	One flashlight per person	First 24 hours
Battery or hand-crank radio, NOAA Weather Radio	One each	First 24 hours
Charged battery banks and charging cables	Enough for every phone	First 24 hours
Prescription medications	7-day supply in go-kit	3 days
Cooler and ice packs for cold medicines	One	First 24 hours
Medical device backup plan and spare batteries	Written plan	Before an outage
Utility medical-needs program enrollment	If anyone uses powered equipment	Before an outage
First aid kit	One	3 days
Warm blankets or sleeping bags	One per person	3 days
Cash in small bills	Enough for several days	3 days
Car fuel	At least half a tank	Always
Document copies (waterproof or digital)	One set	Before an outage
Pet food, water, medicine and carrier	Several days or more	3 days
Appliance thermometers in fridge and freezer	One each	Before an outage
Battery-powered CO alarms	Every level of the home	Before an outage
Paper list of contacts and support network	One copy	Before an outage

The bottom line

You don't need a bunker to be ready for a long outage. You need a plan that grows in stages: the first 24 hours, then 3 days, then 2 weeks. Start with water and medical needs, then add food, light, communications and cash. A kit built for an ordinary multi-day storm outage also covers the rarer grid-down scenarios, because the problems at home are the same. Do one item from the checklist this week, and keep going from there.

PowerOutageTracker.com. "Grid-Down Preparedness Checklist: How to Prepare for a Long Power Outage." Accessed November 2, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/guides/grid-down-preparedness-checklist