What to Do in the First Hour of a Power Outage

The lights go out, the fridge goes quiet and the house suddenly feels very still. Most outages are short, and the first hour is not about doing everything. It is about a few simple moves that protect your food, your phone battery and your household. Here is how I break that hour down, using guidance from Canada.ca, CDC, the American Red Cross and FoodSafety.gov.

You can work through the checklist above as you go. It does not save anything, so it is fine to use on a phone in the dark.

Minutes 0 to 10: find out what kind of outage it is

Check whether it is just your home. Canada.ca’s first step is to check if the outage is only in your home. Look at your breaker panel or fuse box. If a breaker has tripped, the fix may be quick. If your neighbours are dark too, it is a wider outage.

Report it. Call or text your power company, or use its outage map if you can get online. That way they know about your street, and you may get an estimated restoration time.

Keep the fridge and freezer shut. This is the single most useful thing you can do for your food. Canada.ca says not to open them unless it is absolutely necessary.

Reach for a flashlight, not a candle. Canada.ca and the Red Cross both say to use flashlights instead of candles, because candles raise the risk of fire. If you have a headlamp, even better: your hands stay free.

Minutes 10 to 30: protect your food, your gear and your battery

Write down the time. Food decisions later depend on how long the fridge has been without power. A note on the fridge door saves guessing.

Here are the official times, from CDC and FoodSafety.gov:

Appliance, door kept closed	Keeps food safe for about
Fridge	4 hours
Full freezer	48 hours
Half-full freezer	24 hours

If it looks like the outage will run past 4 hours, plan to move the most important cold items to a cooler with ice. My fridge and freezer guide covers what to keep and what to throw out later.

Unplug electronics and appliances. Canada.ca says to unplug tools, appliances and electronic equipment, and to turn the thermostat down, to prevent damage from a power surge when the power is restored. Leave one light switched on inside so you notice when it comes back. When it does, Canada.ca suggests waiting 10 to 15 minutes before plugging other things back in.

Put phones on power-saving mode. The FCC suggests limiting non-emergency calls and conserving battery. Texts often get through when calls do not. My phone charging guide has more, and I wrote a separate post on keeping phones charged for a week.

Minutes 30 to 60: people, information and safety

Get information from something that does not need the grid. A battery or hand-crank radio keeps working when phone networks are busy or down.

Check on people. Think about neighbours who live alone, are older, or have young children. A knock on the door is often all it takes.

Medical devices and medicine. If anyone at home relies on powered medical equipment, start your backup plan now rather than waiting. CDC also notes that when the power is out for a day or more, medicine that should be refrigerated may need to be thrown out unless the label says otherwise, so check the label and call a pharmacist if you are unsure. My medical device power plan walks through what to sort out ahead of time.

Stay away from downed lines. Canada.ca says not to touch power lines, to stay away from them and to report them. Assume any downed line is live.

Generators: the one thing not to rush

A portable generator can make a long outage much easier, but it is also the most dangerous thing in this post.

Carbon monoxide warning. Generators, camp stoves, barbecues, charcoal, and kerosene or propane burners give off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell and which can kill within minutes. Never use them indoors, or in a garage, basement, shed, tent or covered porch, even with doors and windows open. Outdoors, keep them at least 20 feet (6 m) from doors, windows and vents.

CDC’s advice is to keep the generator outside at least 20 feet away from any doors, windows or vents, to use an extension cord more than 20 feet long so it can sit at a safe distance, and to use a battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarm inside. Canada.ca says the same 6 m (20 feet) from all homes and buildings. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. My generator safety guide covers cords, fuel and transfer switches.

Two more things that cause carbon monoxide poisoning in outages:

• Gas ranges and ovens used for heat. CDC says never use a gas range or oven to heat a home.
• Cars running in a garage. CDC says never leave a motor running in a vehicle parked in an enclosed or partly enclosed space such as a garage, even to charge a phone.

If anyone gets a headache, feels dizzy, weak or sick to their stomach, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911.

When the first hour turns into a long night

If the power stays off, the no power for 1 day checklist picks up from here, and the 3-day checklist after that. The Red Cross says to evacuate if your home becomes too hot or too cold, or if you have medical devices that need power. My post on sheltering in place versus leaving has a short decision helper.

If you are reading this before an outage, the best time to prepare is now. The plan builder works out what your household needs for 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, and the 72-hour list is a good first target.