What to Do During a Power Outage Step by Step

Knowing what to do during a power outage turns a dark, quiet house into a short list of clear tasks. Take a breath. You can handle this. The steps below run in the order they matter most: safety first, then your electronics, your food, your comfort, and your decision about whether to stay home.

Maybe the lights just blinked off, or maybe you are reading ahead before storm season. Either way, most outages end within hours, and a few stretch into a three day event or longer. Planned shutoffs happen too. In October 2026, Southern California Edison weighed shutting off power to more than 37,700 customers as Santa Ana winds gusted up to 70 mph. The same calm plan works for a 20 minute flicker and for a multi-day blackout.

Start by grabbing a flashlight and checking that everyone in your home is okay. Then work down the list, one step at a time.

What to Do During a Power Outage in the First 5 Minutes

Get everyone safe and learn how big the outage is. Those two facts tell you whether you are fixing one breaker or settling in to wait. The first part of what to do during a power outage takes only a few minutes. After that, you can turn to protecting your electronics and your food.

1. Grab a flashlight. Use a flashlight, headlamp, or your phone light instead of candles. Battery light gives you a clear view with no fire risk.
2. Check on your people. Find children, older adults, and pets first. Then check on anyone who relies on powered medical equipment, such as an oxygen concentrator or CPAP, and switch that equipment to backup batteries.
3. Check the breaker panel. Look for a switch sitting in the middle or off position. Push it fully to off, then back to on, and you may have power again in seconds.
4. Look outside. Check streetlights and your neighbors' windows, or text a neighbor. If the whole street is dark, the problem is on the grid, not inside your home.
5. Report the outage. Use your utility's app, website, or phone line. Each report helps crews find the fault faster.
6. Check the outage map. Most utilities post a map with crew status and an estimated restoration time. That estimate shapes every choice you make next.

Safety warning: Stay far away from downed power lines. Treat every fallen line as live. Call 911 or your utility right away if you spot one.

Your phone is now your flashlight, news source, and link to help. Lower the screen brightness and close apps you are not using. Turn on low power mode. These small steps can stretch one charge through a long evening.

A charged power bank stretches that charge through a three day event. Stock power banks, spare batteries, and headlamps before the next storm as part of preparing your home for a power outage, and your phone stays ready for news and calls.

Unplug and Unwind: Protect Electronics From Power Surges

Unplug your electronics now, and you protect them from the surge that can come when power returns. That frees your attention for food and comfort instead of replacing a fried TV next week. Unplugging is a quiet but valuable part of what to do during a power outage. When the grid comes back, voltage can spike for a moment as thousands of homes draw power at once. That spike can damage the circuit boards inside sensitive devices.

Unplug These First

• Computers. A surge can damage the power supply and the drive that holds your files.
• TVs and gaming consoles. Their circuit boards are sensitive and costly to replace.
• Modems and routers. Unplugging them keeps your internet equipment ready for when service returns.
• Chargers. A surge can pass through a charger into the phone or tablet still connected to it.
• Microwaves. Their electronic controls are vulnerable to sudden spikes.
• Other sensitive electronics. Unplug printers, smart speakers, and anything with a digital display or clock.

Switch Off the Big Appliances

Turn off your furnace, air conditioner, water heater, washer, and dryer. If you know your breaker panel, switch those circuits off there instead. This keeps a heavy load from hitting the system the moment power returns.

Tip: Leave one lamp switched on. When it lights up, you know the power is back, even from another room.

Devices on a quality surge protector are safer than devices plugged straight into the wall. Unplugging is still the most reliable protection, because it removes the path for the surge completely.

Reconnect Slowly

Once power returns, wait a few minutes before turning major appliances back on. This gives the grid time to steady itself. Start with heating or cooling, then the water heater. Plug electronics back in one at a time over the next 15 to 30 minutes. If the lights flicker or dim, unplug again and give it more time.

Keep the Cold In: Protect Your Fridge and Freezer Food

Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed. That one habit is the most important food safety move you have. It holds cold air inside for hours and saves you money and grocery trips. Food safety is a big part of what to do during a power outage, because a full fridge and freezer can hold hundreds of dollars of groceries. Next come the time limits and the ways to stretch them.

How Long Food Stays Safe

The USDA gives clear guidance for when the doors stay shut:

• Refrigerator: about 4 hours. An unopened fridge keeps food safe for roughly half a workday.
• Full freezer: about 48 hours. A packed freezer holds its temperature for about two days.
• Half-full freezer: about 24 hours. Less food means less stored cold, so the clock runs faster.
• The 40 degree rule. Perishable food above 40 degrees F for more than 2 hours goes in the trash.

Spoilage: Check the Thermometer

Place an appliance thermometer in both the fridge and the freezer. A thermometer replaces guesswork with a number you can trust. Perishable foods include meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, and leftovers. Discard any of these that sat above 40 degrees F for more than 2 hours. Frozen food that still has ice crystals or reads 40 degrees F or below can be refrozen. When in doubt, throw it out.

Stretch Your Cold Time

Group frozen items together so they keep each other cold, the same way a packed cooler stays colder than a half-empty one. If the outage looks likely to run past 4 hours, move milk, medications, and the next day's essentials into a cooler with ice. Now you can grab what you need without opening the big fridge again. For long outages, buy block ice or dry ice. Block ice lasts much longer than cubes. Handle dry ice with thick gloves and keep the room well ventilated, because it releases carbon dioxide as it warms.

Refrigerated Medications

Insulin, some antibiotics, and some eye drops need to stay cold. Store them in your cooler, wrapped so they sit near the ice but not directly on it. If a medication has warmed, call your pharmacist before you use it. Your pharmacist can tell you how long that specific drug stays effective at room temperature.

Stay Warm or Cool, and Know When to Leave Home

Hold a safe indoor temperature, and you buy your household time and comfort while crews work. That steady footing lets you make a calm choice about staying or going. Knowing when to leave is part of what to do during a power outage, too. Start with your season.

If It Is Cold

Dress in layers, including a hat and warm socks, since layers trap body heat better than one heavy coat. Pile on blankets and sleeping bags. Gather everyone in one small interior room. A small room with few windows holds heat longer, and a larger family fills it with more body warmth. Close curtains and roll towels against door gaps to block drafts. Keep a slow drip running on faucets along outside walls. Moving water is slower to freeze, which helps protect your pipes.

If It Is Hot

Drink water steadily through the day, even before you feel thirsty. Move to the lowest floor, where the air stays coolest. Close blinds and curtains during the day to keep the sun out. Wear light, loose clothing. Lay cool damp cloths on your neck, wrists, and forehead to bring your body temperature down. Open windows at night if the outside air is cooler.

Carbon Monoxide: Keep Fuel-Burning Gear Outside

Carbon monoxide warning: Never use a gas stove, oven, grill, camp stove, or generator indoors or in a garage, even with the door open. Run generators at least 20 feet from your home, with the exhaust pointed away from windows and doors.

Carbon monoxide has no color or smell. Install a battery-powered carbon monoxide detector so it keeps working while the grid is down. Headache, dizziness, and nausea are early warning signs. If anyone feels them, get everyone into fresh air and call 911.

Signs It Is Time to Leave

• Unsafe indoor temperatures. If layers or damp cloths can no longer keep your home safe, move somewhere warmer or cooler.
• Medical equipment without backup. If someone depends on oxygen or a CPAP and the batteries are running low, go where there is power.
• Hypothermia or heat exhaustion. Shivering, confusion, and slurred speech point to hypothermia, while heavy sweating and dizziness point to heat exhaustion.
• A multi-day outage. If the outage map shows restoration days away, leave while conditions are still comfortable.
• Official evacuation orders. Follow them right away so you travel while roads are clear.

Head to a warming or cooling center, a friend or family member's home outside the outage area, or a hotel. Call 211 or check your local emergency management office for open centers. Bring your chargers, medications, and the cooler of essentials.