Index · 51 guides in two sections
Power outage prep guides
Plain-language guides built on named public sources. Start with the blackout checklist, then build the Blackout Kit. Backup power sizing and gear guides are on our sister site, BackupPowerAI.
Photo: Carl Kho / Unsplash
Section 1
Outage prep
Outage basics
How long outages last and why the grid sheds load.
How long power outages last: what federal data shows
What federal data says about outage length in the US, why a few big storms dominate the numbers, and how to decide how many days to prepare for.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 7 min read
Rolling blackouts explained
Why grid operators sometimes cut power on purpose, what the official reports say about past events, and how to get your home ready.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 7 min read
Quick answers
Direct answers to what people ask when the power goes out.
Whole house generator vs portable generator
A standby generator is part of the house. A portable is a machine you wheel out, start and refuel. The right one depends on how often your power fails and how long it stays off.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
How to get electricity during a power outage
When the grid is down, electricity comes from two places: energy you stored before the outage, or fuel you burn during it. Here are the options from smallest to largest, and what each one can realistically run.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
How to open a garage door without power
Every automatic opener has a manual release for exactly this moment. Using it is simple. Using it on an open door, or on a door with a broken spring, is how people get hurt.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 7 min read
Are candles safe during a power outage
Fire agencies give the same answer: use flashlights and battery lights instead. Here is why, what the fire data shows, and how to reduce the risk if a candle is all you have.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 7 min read
How to cook without power
A gas cooktop, an outdoor camp stove and a no-cook pantry cover most outages. The one rule that never bends: fuel-burning cookers that are not built into your kitchen stay outside.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
The best food for a power outage
Shelf-stable food you can eat straight from the can or packet, a manual can opener and enough water. Here is what to buy, how much, and what changes for babies and special diets.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Can you shower during a power outage
It depends on where your water comes from, what heats it, and the weather outside. Here is how to tell in a minute, and what to do if the answer is no.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
What to do when the power goes out
A timed checklist for the first 15 minutes, the first hour and the first day of an outage, with the safety rules that prevent the injuries outages actually cause.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 7 min read
What to do when the power comes back on
The outage is over, but the decisions are not: food that warmed up, medicine that sat out, appliances that all want to start at once and a generator that must come off the circuit.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 7 min read
How long can a house go without power
A house does not fail all at once. The fridge goes first, then water and medicine, then temperature. This timeline shows which system runs out when, and what extends each one.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
How to flush a toilet without power
Most toilets flush by gravity and need no electricity. What stops them is the water supply and, in some homes, the pump that carries waste away. Here is how to tell which applies to you.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 7 min read
How to stay cool without power
Losing air conditioning in a heat wave is a health problem, not a comfort problem. These are the methods that work without the grid, the signs that mean it is time to leave, and who to check on first.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 7 min read
What to buy before a power outage
One shopping list for the whole house, sorted by what to buy first. Each line links to the page that covers that category in depth.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 10 min read
How to charge your phone during a power outage
Your phone is your alert system, flashlight and family check-in. Keeping it alive is mostly about using less power, then having two ways to put power back in.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Grid-down
Plans and threat briefings for outages that last weeks or months.
Is the power grid shutting down? What the 90-day rumor gets wrong
The viral posts mix up three real things: a Pentagon plan for military bases, a British preparedness campaign and a scheduled FEMA alert test. None of them is a plan to turn off your power.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 6 min read
The 30-day grid-down plan
What stops working in a month-long regional outage, how much to store for your household, and what to do each week until the power returns.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
The 90-day grid-down plan
How a household gets through three months without grid power, built on what federal planners, utilities and public health agencies have published.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 7 min read
Water when the taps stop
City water runs on electricity; this is how much to store, where to find more, and how to make it safe to drink when the treatment plant goes dark.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Heating without power for weeks, without poisoning the household
Most furnaces stop when the grid does, so a long winter outage needs one warm room, a safe heat source, enough stored fuel and a carbon monoxide alarm within earshot of every bed.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 10 min read
Long-term food storage for weeks without the grid
Calorie math, real shelf-life figures from extension services, and a rotation system that keeps a month or more of food edible.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Sanitation without power: build the emergency toilet before you need it
A long outage can stop sewage pumps and treatment, and a two-bucket toilet with a 30-day supply of bags, cover material and sanitizer keeps waste contained and the household healthy.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Ham and GMRS radio keep a household talking when cell towers go dark
Cell networks depend on grid power and backhaul, so a long outage calls for radios that talk directly to each other, a license where the law requires one, and a written plan for when to listen.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Solar storms can damage the grid's biggest transformers
NOAA's own scale says an extreme geomagnetic storm can collapse some grid systems; here is the history, the safeguards and the household plan.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
EMP and the power grid: the evidence, the dispute and your options
Federal commissions warn an EMP attack could darken a region for months or longer, utility researchers expect less, and households can do more about the outage than the pulse.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Attacks on the power grid: what they did to households and how to prepare
Deliberate attacks on substations are real and rising, and the documented household impact so far is a local outage measured in days, which is exactly what a prepared home can ride out.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Seasonal prep
Plans for winter storms, hurricanes and wildfire shutoffs.
Winter power outage survival
A practical plan for staying warm and safe when the power goes out in freezing weather, including the safety rules that matter most.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 8 min read
Hurricane power outage prep
Hurricanes are the biggest single driver of long US power outages. This plan covers a week or more without electricity.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 8 min read
Wildfire power shutoff (PSPS) prep
Utilities in wildfire-prone areas may turn off power on purpose during dangerous weather. This guide covers how those shutoffs work and how to get ready.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 7 min read
Gear picks
Research-based picks from manufacturer specs. No product testing.
Best emergency radios for power outages
Five research-based picks for hand-crank, solar and battery NOAA weather radios, chosen from manufacturer specs and published data.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 8 min read
Best carbon monoxide alarms for power outages
Generators, fuel-burning heaters and improvised cooking make outages a high-risk time for carbon monoxide. These alarms keep working without grid power.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 8 min read
Best power station for refrigerator backup
A fridge is the appliance most households want to save first. Size the station for the compressor's startup surge and a day of cycling, and it is one of the easier loads to back up.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Best generator for power outage backup at home
A portable generator is the most common way households run a fridge, sump pump and furnace fan through a multi-day outage. Pick the size from your loads, then plan the fuel and the safety.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Best CPAP battery backup for power outages
A CPAP uses little power, so a modest battery can cover a night or more. The two things that change the math are the heated humidifier and whether you connect by DC or AC.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Best battery backup for a sump pump
Storms that flood basements are the same storms that knock out power. A battery backup sump pump keeps water moving when the primary pump goes quiet.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Best battery backup for a WiFi router
A modem and router draw only a few watts, so a small battery keeps the internet up for hours. Whether there is still a signal to connect to depends on your provider.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Best emergency lights for a power outage
The first minute of an outage is the darkest. Lights that switch on by themselves get you to the flashlight drawer; lanterns and headlamps carry you through the night.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Best camping stove for a power outage
Six propane, butane and backpacking stoves compared on maker specs, with the fuel you need for a week and the indoor-use rules most listings skip.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Best cooler for a power outage
A good cooler buys time once the fridge passes its four-hour limit. These five, plus a thermometer, cover a household, with every ice claim labelled as the maker's own.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Best emergency kit for a power outage
Pre-built 72-hour kits are a fast start. Most are designed for evacuation, so a home power outage kit needs a few things they leave out.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 10 min read
Best rechargeable batteries for a power outage
Flashlights, radios, headlamps and CO alarms eat AA and AAA cells. The right rechargeables hold their charge in a drawer for years and refill from a power bank or power station.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Best battery operated fan for a power outage
A battery fan makes a hot, dark house easier to sleep in. It does not replace air conditioning in a heat wave, and the CDC sets a clear limit on when fans help.
Updated November 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Section 2
The Blackout Kit
Chapters
Light, heat, water, food, medical and comms, in manual order.
Comms
Emergency Communication: Weather Radios and Power Banks
A NOAA weather alert radio that needs no outlet, and power banks sized to keep phones running for days.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 3 min read
Water
Emergency Water Storage and Filters: How Much to Store and How to Treat It
CDC's gallon-per-person-per-day rule, how to store and rotate water, and which filters remove what.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 3 min read
Food
Best Emergency Food Kits for Long Power Outages
Compare kits by total calories, not servings, and account for the water they need. Five research-based picks.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 3 min read
Food safety
How to Keep Food Safe During a Power Outage
The 4-hour fridge and 48-hour freezer rules, when to refreeze, what to throw out, and the cheap tools that take the guesswork out.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 4 min read
Heat
Best Indoor-Safe Heaters for Power Outages (and How to Use Them Safely)
Indoor-rated propane heaters with ODS and tip-over shutoff, and the carbon monoxide rules that keep a cold night from turning dangerous.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 4 min read
Light
Best Emergency Lanterns and Flashlights for Power Outages
Room lanterns, a headlamp per person and one strong flashlight, plus how to plan batteries for a multi-day outage.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 3 min read
Medical
Emergency First Aid and Medical Prep for Power Outages
A real first aid kit, a week of prescriptions, FDA insulin guidance, and a plan for medical devices that need power.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 3 min read
Energy bills
How to Cut Your Energy Bills Before Winter
What EIA expects this winter, the DOE and ENERGY STAR moves that save the most, and how to find waste in your own bill.
Updated October 27, 2026 · 3 min read
On BackupPowerAI
Backup power
Sizing, gear and safety
Power stations, solar kits and generators, published on our sister site. Links open BackupPowerAI.
Sizing
What size power station you need: the sizing math, worked through
Buying guide
Power station vs. generator: runtime, watts, safety and cost compared
Buying guide
Buying guide
Buying guide
How-to
How-to
Safety
How-to