Safety first
Health & Safety in a Power Outage
The things that actually hurt people in a blackout are carbon monoxide, cold and spoiled food, not the dark. Start with the first section.
Emergency: If anyone has a headache, dizziness, nausea or confusion while a generator, heater or stove is running, get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911. In the US, Poison Help (1-800-222-1222) gives free advice on suspected poisoning. This site gives general information, not medical advice.
Carbon monoxide: the outage killer
Carbon monoxide (CO) is odourless and colourless, and a blackout multiplies the risk because people start generators, propane heaters and grills to cope. These guides cover where the risk comes from and how to reduce it.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning in a blackout: the symptoms that look like flu and what to do.
- Carbon monoxide detectors: where they go, how long they last and why they fail.
- Where to put a generator: distance from the house and why an open garage is not safe.
- Indoor propane heater safety: what makes one safe to run and what does not.
Cold and hypothermia
Indoor hypothermia is slow and easy to miss, especially in older adults and small children. Plan to heat one room rather than the whole house, and protect the plumbing separately.
- Hypothermia indoors when the heat fails: the stages, who is at risk and when to call 911.
- Preventing frozen pipes with no heat.
- Winter storm prep for a house with land.
Food and water safety
- How long food lasts in a freezer without power, using USDA guidance on what to keep and what to throw.
- Is rainwater safe to drink? What the roof adds and the filter chain that removes it.
- Testing well water: what to check and how often.
- Emergency water storage and the rotation rules.
Medical equipment and power
- Keeping a CPAP running in a power outage: the watt-hour math and how to size a battery.
If you or someone in your home depends on powered medical equipment, tell your utility: many run medical-priority lists, which do not guarantee restoration but can change where you sit in the queue. Ask your clinician about a backup plan for anything life-sustaining, because a battery guide on a general website is not a substitute.
Where this connects
Heating choices are covered in Heat & Cold, generator sizing and placement in Power & Backup, and sanitation in Sanitation. New here? Begin with Start Here, or read the first five things to fix.