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The most useful power-outage supplies are the ones that cover drinking water, food, light, information, communication, first aid, sanitation and safe food storage. Start with enough water for one gallon per person per day for at least three days, then build a household kit around the people, pets, climate and medical needs in your home.
The 12 things to have ready for a blackout
This is a practical arrangement of recommendations from the FEMA Ready Campaign, Ready.gov preparedness guidance and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is not a ranking: a family with an infant, a pet, mobility needs or medication that requires refrigeration may need additional supplies.
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1. Drinking and sanitation water
Use FEMA’s detailed baseline of one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days. That means three gallons for each person in a minimum three-day kit. The allowance covers drinking and basic sanitation, so hot weather, illness, pregnancy, children, pets or limited access to other water can justify a larger reserve.
Store water where everyone can reach it without moving heavy objects. Include separate water for pets and account for anyone whose medical or dietary needs change normal consumption.
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2. Shelf-stable food
Keep at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Choose items your household will actually eat and that can be served without a refrigerator, freezer or mains-powered appliance. Canned foods are useful only if you also keep a manual can opener.
Consider allergies, infant feeding, medical diets and pet food when deciding what “three days” means for your home. Put the oldest items where they will be used first and check the dates whenever you inspect the kit.
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3. A flashlight with extra batteries
A flashlight gives you controlled light without using candles near curtains, paper or spilled fuel. FEMA’s basic-kit checklist specifically pairs a flashlight with extra batteries; keep the spares in the same container so the light is not useless when its installed batteries run down.
4. A battery-powered or hand-crank radio
When cellular service or home internet is unreliable, a radio can carry emergency instructions and weather information. FEMA’s checklist names a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries. A hand-crank model provides another way to power the receiver when replacement batteries are scarce.
Learn the radio’s controls before an outage. Keep it with the flashlight rather than buried in a separate room, and use local broadcast information to decide whether conditions are safe for travel.
5. A phone backup charger or power bank
Ready.gov preparedness guidance advises having an alternative way to charge phones during an outage. A charged power bank, compatible cable and wall adapter can preserve calls, text messages, maps and official alerts while the household waits for power to return.
Check the cable type for every phone in the home. Recharge the backup after use and include a car-charging option only if it can be used safely in your circumstances.
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6. A first-aid kit
Keep a first-aid kit in the outage supplies, not in a locked cabinet that may be difficult to reach in darkness. The kit should be familiar to the adults who may use it, and household members should know where it is.
Add household-specific medical supplies that a person normally relies on, and plan separately for prescriptions or equipment that needs electricity. The appropriate contents depend on the individual and should follow medical advice.
7. A whistle
FEMA lists a whistle as a way to signal for help. It is small, works without batteries and can be heard when calling or shouting is difficult. Keep one with the main kit and consider placing another where a person who is alone can reach it.
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8. Dust masks, plastic sheeting and duct tape
FEMA’s checklist includes a dust mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape. Keep these together as basic protective and shelter-in-place materials. Their presence does not make a room safe from every smoke, chemical or structural hazard; follow instructions from emergency officials and leave when authorities direct you to evacuate.
9. Sanitation supplies
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties are named on FEMA’s list. They help with hand and surface cleaning and with containing waste when normal water or trash service is interrupted.
Keep the sanitation items in a sealed, clearly labeled bag so they can be found without opening every box. Include supplies that household members require for continence, infant care or other personal needs.
10. A manual can opener and a basic utility tool
If your food supply includes cans, a manual can opener is essential. FEMA also names a wrench or pliers for turning off utilities. Use such tools only when you have appropriate instructions for your home and situation; do not experiment with gas, electrical or other utility controls during an emergency.
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Local maps belong with this information because a phone may be uncharged or a digital map may be unavailable. A paper map can show evacuation routes, hospitals and meeting places identified in your household plan.
11. A cooler with ice or frozen gel packs
CDC guidance recommends having a cooler and cold sources ready before an outage. Freeze water containers or gel packs in advance when severe weather is expected, and keep enough cold-source capacity to move the most perishable food if the refrigerator loses power.
Do not open the cooler repeatedly. Organize it so foods that must be used first are easy to reach, limiting the time the lid remains open.
12. Refrigerator and freezer thermometers
Appliance thermometers let you judge food safety by temperature rather than appearance. CDC’s targets are 40°F or below for a refrigerator and 0°F or below for a freezer. Keep a thermometer in each appliance before an outage occurs.
A thermometer cannot make unsafe food safe, but it can show whether a refrigerator stayed cold enough or whether frozen food remained at a temperature at which it can be refrozen or cooked.
Food safety when the power fails
The safest first action is simple: keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Every opening lets cold air escape and shortens the time food remains safe.
| Appliance | Maximum time with doors closed | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Up to 4 hours | At four hours without power or another cold source, move perishables to a cooler or discard them according to CDC guidance. |
| Full freezer | Up to 48 hours | Keep the door closed; check for ice crystals or a temperature at or below 40°F before refreezing or cooking. |
| Half-full freezer | Up to 24 hours | Keep the door closed and use a cooler or other cold source if needed. |
These time limits assume the doors remain closed. They are CDC guidance from November 24, 2025, not a guarantee for every appliance, room temperature or food load.
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After four hours without power or another cold source, discard perishable refrigerated food. Do not taste food to test it and do not rely on smell. CDC’s rule is: “When in doubt, throw it out!”
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Frozen food that still contains ice crystals or measures at or below 40°F can be safely refrozen or cooked, according to CDC guidance. When you move food to a cooler, pack it with ice or frozen gel packs and keep the lid closed as much as possible.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Adapt the kit to your household
A three-day baseline is a starting point, not a universal prescription. Review the kit for:
- Household size: multiply the water baseline by every person and add food accordingly.
- Pets: store their water and food rather than assuming a household supply will cover them.
- Medical needs: identify medicines, mobility aids and equipment that depend on electricity, and make a plan for keeping them available.
- Climate: extreme heat or cold can change how quickly people need water, shelter or outside assistance.
- Evacuation ability: keep a smaller portable kit for a vehicle or workplace, as FEMA’s Ready Campaign recommends, if the household may need to leave.
- Important records: FEMA’s broader preparedness material also recommends considering family documents and other household-specific needs.
How to assemble and maintain the supplies
- List the people, pets and essential medical needs. Calculate the water minimum, then write down the food and care items each person requires.
- Gather the 12 categories in one accessible location. Use clearly labeled containers and keep the flashlight, radio, phone charger and first-aid kit easy to reach in darkness.
- Prepare cold storage. Put appliance thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer, identify a cooler, and freeze water containers or gel packs when an outage is possible.
- Test power-free equipment. Turn on the flashlight and radio, confirm that spare batteries fit, and check that the power bank and phone cables work together.
- Write down local information. Keep paper maps, emergency contacts and household meeting locations with the kit so they remain available if a phone cannot be charged.
- Inspect after every use and on a regular household schedule. Replace consumed food, water, batteries and sanitation supplies, and recharge the phone backup after it has been used.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Relying on one device: a phone can lose power or service, so pair it with a radio, flashlight and paper information.
- Opening the refrigerator to browse: decide what you need before opening the door and close it immediately.
- Keeping food without a cold plan: have a cooler, ice or frozen gel packs ready before the refrigerator reaches four hours without power.
- Testing food by taste: harmful contamination is not reliably detected by smell or flavor.
- Storing tools without instructions: a wrench or pliers belongs in the kit, but utility shutoffs should be handled only with appropriate guidance.
- Building a generic kit: a household with pets, medical equipment, children or evacuation constraints needs additions beyond the baseline.
What to do when an outage begins
First, retrieve the flashlight and radio, then confirm whether the interruption is limited to your home or affects the wider area. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Charge essential phones from the backup power bank while it still has capacity, and listen for official weather or emergency instructions.
If the refrigerator approaches four hours without power or another cold source, transfer perishables to the prepared cooler. Track freezer time separately: a full freezer may hold food for up to 48 hours and a half-full freezer for up to 24 hours when unopened. Use appliance thermometers and the CDC temperature guidance to decide what can be kept, refrozen or cooked.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Use the kit as a starting point for a calm household plan. The right supplies are the ones calculated for the people and animals in your care, stored where you can reach them, and checked before the next outage rather than during it.
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