What to Do During a Power Outage: A Step-by-Step Safety Guide

Key facts

• Check first: a dark room may just be a tripped breaker. A dark street means a wider outage you should report.
• Food: a closed refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours. A full freezer holds for about 48 hours, or 24 if half full (CDC).
• Downed lines: stay at least 35 feet away from fallen lines and anything touching them, and call 911 (American Red Cross).
• Carbon monoxide: never run a generator or other gasoline engine inside a home, basement or garage. Keep it at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents (CDC).
• Light: use battery-powered flashlights and lanterns, not candles.
• Surges: unplug electronics, and wait until power is stable before reconnecting them (Ready.gov).
• Driving: treat an intersection with dark signals as an all-way stop.

The first 10 minutes

1. Check that everyone is safe, and look out for fire or downed lines outside.
2. Grab a flashlight, not a candle.
3. Check your breaker panel to see whether only part of the house is out.
4. Look outside. Are neighbors' lights and streetlights out too?
5. Check your utility's outage map or our live outage map.
6. Report the outage to your utility if it isn't already listed.
7. Unplug sensitive electronics and leave one lamp switched on.
8. Keep the fridge and freezer closed.
9. Check on anyone with medical needs, and start the backup plan for powered devices or refrigerated medicine.
10. Turn on a battery or hand-crank radio, or check local alerts on your phone, for updates.

Step 1: Check whether it's just you

Start inside. If some rooms have power and others don't, look at your breaker panel or fuse box for a tripped breaker. The American Red Cross recommends having an electrician inspect tripped breakers before you turn them back on.

If the whole house is dark, look outside. Dark homes and streetlights usually mean a neighborhood outage. Then check your utility's outage map and our live U.S. outage map, which shows outages by state and county. For more ways to confirm what's happening, see how to check if the power is out near you.

Step 2: Report it to your utility

Don't assume your neighbors have reported it. Use your utility's app, website, text service or phone line. Having your account number or service address handy speeds things up. If your home is the only one without power, say so, because the problem may be with the line to your house rather than the wider grid.

Write down any estimated restoration time, and check back for updates. Estimates can change as crews assess damage.

Step 3: Protect your electronics

When power returns, it can come back with surges or spikes. Ready.gov recommends disconnecting appliances and electronics during the outage, and keeping them off or unplugged until power is stable (Ready.gov). Leave one lamp switched on so you'll know when the power is back.

The Red Cross also recommends unplugging to avoid power overloads and surge damage (American Red Cross). If you have surge protectors, check that they're current.

Step 4: Keep the fridge and freezer closed

Every time you open the door, cold air escapes. A closed refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours. A full freezer keeps its temperature for about 48 hours, or about 24 hours if it's half full (CDC). If the outage will last longer, move perishables into a cooler with ice and check the temperature with a thermometer.

For what to keep and what to throw out, see our guide to how long food lasts in a power outage.

Step 5: Stay away from downed power lines

The American Red Cross advises staying at least 35 feet from fallen power lines and anything they're touching, such as fences, puddles or cars, and calling 911. The CDC adds: never touch a fallen line, and don't drive through standing water if downed lines are in it (CDC).

Treat every downed line as dangerous. You can't tell by looking whether a line is live. Keep children and pets well away, and let the utility and emergency crews handle it.

Step 6: Prevent carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most serious outage hazards, because people turn to generators, grills and stoves for power, heat and cooking. CO is colorless and odorless. The CDC estimates that more than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires, and more than 100,000 visit an emergency department.

• Never use a generator, pressure washer or other gasoline-powered engine inside your home, basement or garage. Keep it at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents.
• Never use a gas stovetop or oven to heat your home (Ready.gov).
• Use camp stoves and charcoal grills outdoors only.
• Use a battery-powered or battery-backup CO alarm whenever a generator is running.

Common CO symptoms are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. If a CO alarm sounds or anyone feels sick, dizzy or weak, get to fresh air immediately. Call for help from outside or from an open window or door, and stay there until help arrives (American Red Cross). Before you start a generator, read our generator safety guide.

Step 7: Stay warm, or stay cool

In cold weather, dress in layers and use blankets or sleeping bags. Hypothermia is a medical emergency. The CDC advises getting medical attention immediately if someone's body temperature is below 95°F.

In hot weather, the CDC advises against relying solely on fans to keep cool and recommends going to an air-conditioned location if you can (CDC).

In either case, if the heat or cold is extreme, go to a community location that has power. Local officials can tell you which warming or cooling centers are open (Ready.gov). The Red Cross also advises leaving home if it gets too hot or too cold, or if someone uses a medical device that needs power.

Step 8: Use flashlights, not candles

The CDC recommends battery-powered flashlights and lanterns instead of candles, gas lanterns or torches to reduce the risk of fire. If you must use candles, put them in safe holders away from anything that could catch fire, and never leave one burning unattended. The CDC also notes that after a disaster, fire trucks may have trouble reaching your home (CDC).

Step 9: Treat dark traffic signals as all-way stops

If you have to drive, approach every intersection with dark signals as an all-way stop. Oregon's transportation department advises coming to a full stop and looking for other traffic, pedestrians and cyclists. The driver who stops first goes first, and if in doubt, you yield to the driver on your right (ODOT). Caltrans gives the same advice: treat every entrance to the intersection as a stop sign, and follow directions from emergency personnel (Caltrans).

State laws differ in the details, so drive cautiously and let others go when unsure. During a long outage, railroad crossing arms can lower automatically. Never drive around arms that are down, because a train may be coming (ODOT).

Step 10: When the power comes back

• Wait before reconnecting. Keep appliances off or unplugged until the power is stable, then reconnect them (Ready.gov).
• Check your food. Throw out perishable food that has been at 40°F or above for more than 2 hours, and anything with an unusual odor, color or texture. Never taste food to decide whether it's safe (FoodSafety.gov). When in doubt, throw it out.
• Check refrigerated medicines. The CDC says to throw away refrigerated medication if the power was out for a day or more, unless the label says otherwise. Contact your pharmacist or doctor about replacements.
• Watch for water damage. Don't use electrical equipment that may have been underwater. Have a qualified electrical inspector check your system if it was flooded (American Red Cross).
• Restock. Replace the batteries, water and food you used, so you're ready for the next outage. Our grid-down preparedness checklist can help.

Common mistakes to avoid

Don't	Do this instead
Run a generator in the garage, even with the door open	Run it outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents
Heat your home with a gas oven or stovetop	Layer up, use blankets, or go to a warming center
Keep opening the fridge to check on food	Keep it closed, and check temperatures with a thermometer when power returns
Light candles in every room	Use flashlights and battery-powered lanterns
Go near a downed line, or anything it's touching	Stay at least 35 feet away and call 911
Plug a generator into a wall outlet	Plug appliances directly into the generator. Backfeeding through an outlet puts utility workers, neighbors and your household at risk of electrocution (American Red Cross)
Taste food to see if it's still good	When in doubt, throw it out

The bottom line

Most of what keeps you safe during an outage is simple, and it happens in the first few minutes. Confirm the outage and report it. Unplug electronics, keep the fridge closed, and use flashlights. Then focus on the hazards that cause real harm: stay 35 feet from downed lines, keep generators and other fuel-burning equipment outside and well away from the house, and treat dark intersections as all-way stops. When the power returns, reconnect slowly and check your food and medicine before using them.

PowerOutageTracker.com. "What to Do During a Power Outage: A Step-by-Step Safety Guide." Accessed November 2, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/guides/what-to-do-during-a-power-outage