Most of us will never experience a devastating earthquake, hurricane or tornado, let alone a man made survival disaster.

But we all will experience a power outage at some point; here is a list of supplies you should have on hand and what to do when you when you have a power outage!

• Emergency lighting (such as candles, flashlights, headlamps, oil lanterns, and chemical sticks)
• Spare batteries
• Battery charger with solar or vehicle adapter
• Phone charger with solar or vehicle adapter
• Emergency radio
• Off-grid method of heating
• Off-grid method of cooking
• Emergency water
• Water treatment method
• Solar power kit
• Generator
• Contact info for utility providers

Steps to Take Immediately After the Power Goes Out

Turn On Your Emergency Lights

Make sure your emergency lights are somewhere accessible in case you have to find them in the dark. Ideally, keep a flashlight in each room of your home.
In general, it is better to use battery-operated lights instead of candles because of the fire risk.

See If Your Neighbors Have Power

If your neighbors still have electricity, then the problem is likely inside your home. Start by checking the main fuses or circuit breakers to see if they have blown.

Unplug Appliances

When the power comes back on, it can cause a huge power spike which may damage electronics.

It is smart to unplug all of your sensitive (read: expensive) electronics from the wall so they don’t get damaged when the power comes back on.

See if Water is Safe to Drink

When the power goes out, water treatment centers might not work. You could still have clean-looking water coming from the tap, but it might not be safe to drink!

Call your local authorities to see if the water is safe to drink. Or, you can listen to your emergency radio to see if there is a “boil alert” in place.

Keep Fridge and Freezer Closed

According to Ready.gov, food kept in an unopened refrigerator will stay cold for about 4 hours.
A full freezer will keep its temperature for about 48 hours.

Save Your Phone’s Battery

Turn off any power-consuming apps on your phone to save its battery.

Stay Warm (Winter Power Outages)

If the power outage occurs during winter, now is the time to start using your emergency heating method. A wood stove is my personal favorite off-grid heating method.

You can get some passive solar heating during the daytime by keeping all curtains closed except those on south-facing windows. Close all drapes at night to trap some heat, and line windows and doorways with towels to prevent heat from escaping.

Prevent Pipes from Freezing (Winter Power Outages)

Hopefully your pipes are well insulated so they don’t freeze. The easiest way to prevent pipes from freezing during power outages is to let a small stream of water flow through the faucets.

For long-term power outages during extreme weather, you’ll want to drain your hot water heater. You will also need to winterize the drainage system by putting antifreeze into the drain traps below toilets, sinks, washing machines, etc.

Power outages can strike at any moment for dozens of reasons; one East Coast City had a massive blackout back in the 1990’s because a rat had eaten through the insulation of a major, underground power line!

When it happens, you need to take basic steps to ensure you are safe and that your electronics still function once the power comes back on!

To learn more tips on how to address a power outage, check out Primal Survival.