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AN EVERYDAY SITUATION · POWER

The power just went out.
What do you do in the first hour?

Start with light, information and the people in your home. You do not need to solve the entire outage at once.

Ready Before Dark journal · September 22, 2026 · 5-minute read

The room goes quiet. The refrigerator stops humming. Your phone is at 37 percent. In this hypothetical situation, you do not yet know whether the outage covers one building or a whole neighborhood, or how long it will last.

First: make the room usable.

Find a battery-powered flashlight or lantern. Check that it works and put it where everyone can reach it. The CDC recommends flashlights instead of candles to reduce fire risk. Keep shoes on if you must move through a dark or cluttered space.

If someone depends on powered medical equipment or temperature-sensitive medication, use that person's established backup plan and contact the equipment supplier, care team or local emergency services as the situation requires. Do not wait for a general article to decide what is safe for that person.

Next: find out what changed.

Check your utility's outage map or official update using a charged device. If your service is out and the utility has no report, use its published reporting channel. Write down the time power stopped. Save phone battery for essential communication; use a tested backup charge if you have one.

Keep clear of any fallen power line or standing water near one. The CDC says never to touch a fallen line or drive through water containing one. Call the utility or emergency services from a safe location.

Protect the food before opening the fridge.

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. According to CDC and FoodSafety.gov, an unopened refrigerator generally keeps food safe for up to four hours; a full closed freezer for about 48 hours, or about 24 hours if half full. These are planning windows, not a promise about a particular appliance or food. Record the outage start time and use current official food-safety guidance before deciding what to keep.

If the outage continues, check the guidance for each food. FoodSafety.gov advises discarding perishable refrigerated foods after four hours without power. A thermometer and the condition of frozen food matter more than a guess based on smell.

Avoid creating a second emergency.

Never run a generator, grill, camp stove or gasoline-powered equipment inside a home, garage or other enclosed or partly enclosed space. Carbon monoxide cannot be seen or smelled. CDC says generators belong outdoors more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents, with a battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide detector in the home. Never use a gas oven to heat the home.

Also check whether your water utility has issued a water notice. A power outage does not by itself prove tap water is unsafe, but water systems can be affected. Follow the notice for your exact location if one exists.

Before the hour ends, leave one useful note.

Write down where the working light is, which backup charge fits your phone and the utility's outage-reporting route. Then take the free Power Outage Readiness quiz. It turns this first hour into one small task you can repeat before the next outage.