Power Outage

A power outage is one of the most common emergencies a household will face, making blackout preparedness one of the most useful places to begin. When the grid goes down, you may quickly lose lighting, refrigeration, heating or cooling, internet access, and the ability to charge phones, medical devices, and other essential equipment. Start with safe emergency lighting, including a flashlight for each person, hands-free headlamps, and LED lanterns for shared rooms. Add enough portable power to keep phones and small electronics operating for several days, with greater capacity for refrigerators, CPAP machines, or other critical devices. Prepare for indoor temperature changes, especially winter cold, and keep food that can be eaten without cooking, along with a battery-powered or hand-crank emergency radio for weather alerts and local information.