Family Power Outage Plan: What to Do Before, During, and After

Power outages are the most common disruption most families will face — a summer storm, an ice storm, a grid failure during peak heat, or the first hours after a hurricane. Ready.gov and the CDC publish the same core guidance for all of them, and most of it costs nothing: it is about what you do (and don’t do) during the hours the power is out, not about buying anything. This is the plan, broken into before, during, and after.

Before the power goes out

• Install carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup on every level of your home, especially near sleeping areas — this is the single most important item on this list, see the generator section below.
• Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank flashlight for every family member. Ready.gov is explicit: use flashlights, not candles, for emergency lighting — candles are a real fire risk during an outage.
• Have a portable charger or power bank charged and ready for phones.
• Keep a refrigerator/freezer thermometer on hand so you can actually check food safety instead of guessing (see the food-safety numbers below).
• If anyone in the household takes medication that must stay refrigerated, plan a backup cold-storage method (an insulated bag with ice packs) before you need it.
• Add surge protectors on major electronics — a power surge when service is restored can damage anything still plugged in.

Generator safety (read this before you buy or borrow one)

The CDC and Ready.gov are unusually blunt here because the consequences of getting this wrong are fatal, not just inconvenient. Portable generators produce carbon monoxide (CO) — a colorless, odorless gas — and CDC data shows roughly a third to half of non-fatal CO poisonings reported after the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons involved generators running within 7 feet of a home.

• Never run a generator inside a home, basement, or garage — even with the doors and windows open.
• Run it outdoors, at least 20 feet away from any window, door, or vent. CDC and NIST modeling found that even 15 feet may not be far enough to keep CO out of a house under some wind conditions — 20 feet is the floor, not the ideal.
• Use a battery-powered or battery-backup CO detector inside the home whenever a generator is running nearby.
• Keep the generator dry — a wet generator (or anything plugged into one) can cause electric shock.
• Connect appliances with heavy-duty extension cords rated for outdoor use; never try to back-feed your home’s wiring through an outlet.
• Let the generator cool before refueling — fuel spilled on hot engine parts can ignite.

Keeping food safe during the outage

This is the part most families get wrong simply by not knowing the actual numbers. CDC and Ready.gov guidance is specific:

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
• An unopened refrigerator keeps food safely cold for about 4 hours.
• A full freezer holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it’s only half full).
• Use coolers with ice if the outage runs long, and keep a thermometer in both to check rather than guess.
• Throw out any perishable food (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, leftovers) that has been above 40°F for 4 hours or more, or that has an unusual odor, color, or texture.
• Food in the freezer that still has ice crystals and feels refrigerator-cold can usually be safely refrozen or cooked — when in doubt, throw it out.

After the power comes back

• Check and reset anything you unplugged before reconnecting it, one device at a time.
• Check the refrigerator/freezer thermometer before deciding what to keep — don’t rely on how the food looks or smells alone for borderline cases.
• Reset breakers if needed, and have an electrician check anything that tripped repeatedly or smelled of burning.

Pair this plan with your 72-hour emergency kit checklist (flashlights, batteries and a backup charging plan are part of that list too) and, if the outage is storm-driven, your home emergency readiness guide for the specific hazard.

Frequently asked questions

How long will food stay safe in the refrigerator during a power outage?

About 4 hours in a closed refrigerator. A full freezer holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half full). Throw out perishable food that’s been above 40°F for 4 hours or more.

How far from the house does a generator need to be?

At least 20 feet from any window, door, or vent, per CDC and Ready.gov — and never inside a home, basement, or garage under any circumstances, even with doors and windows open. Install a battery-backup carbon monoxide detector regardless.