Blackout
Articles
Danger:
A power blackout is a loss of grid electricity across a neighborhood, a city or a whole region. Storms, extreme heat and cold, equipment failure and demand that outruns supply can all bring one on. A blackout can last minutes or stretch into weeks.
A blackout matters to every household on the grid. It matters most to families with medical devices, infants or older relatives. It also hits hard in homes with well pumps, or homes that need power to stay warm in winter and cool in summer.
Guides to Living Through a Power Blackout
Know Your Grid
- Grids: The US power grids are three separate systems, and the one you live on shapes your risk.
- Demand: Data centers and power grid strain are a growing pressure on the supply your home draws from.
- Kinds: A rolling blackout and an unplanned grid failure call for different plans.
- Location: Grid blackout risk by state shows where outages are most likely this year.
Prepare Your Home
- Basics: Power outage preparedness lays out the first steps for any family.
- Kit: A power outage kit keeps light, food and communication within reach.
- Backup: Backup power keeps the essentials running when the grid goes dark.
- Batteries: Home battery backup sizing starts with what your household needs to keep on.
Why a Power Blackout Matters to Your Family
Electricity runs more of the home than most families notice until it stops. A long power blackout can cut heat or cooling and spoil refrigerated food and medicine. It can also silence well pumps and drain the phones you count on for news. The risk climbs in extreme heat and cold, when the grid is under the most strain and your family needs power most.
A family that prepares ahead rides out a blackout in comfort. Begin with power outage preparedness, then match backup power to what your household needs to keep running.
