Shelter in Place Plan

No Power for 3 Days: Checklist

A plan for a three-day outage: food you can no longer keep, heat or cooling, water, toilets, charging and when to go somewhere else.

Checklist

0 of 14 ticked

Food 0/4

Water and toilets 0/3

Warmth or cooling 0/3

Power and safety 0/4

By day three, most of the fridge is gone, the house may be uncomfortable, and batteries are running down.

Day 2 and 3 priorities

  • Food. Sort it with the keep or discard rules. When in doubt, throw it out. Do not taste food to test it.
  • Water. If you are on a well, the pump needs power. Move to stored water.
  • Heat or cooling. Dress for it. If your home becomes too hot or too cold, go to a warming or cooling centre, or to family or friends.
  • Toilets. If water or sewer service is out, use a backup toilet.
  • Charging. Charge phones from power banks, or from a car parked outdoors with good airflow.

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.

Never use a gas stove, oven or dryer to heat your home. Use flashlights rather than candles where you can.

When power returns

Canada.ca suggests turning heating thermostats up first, reconnecting the fridge and freezer, and waiting 10 to 15 minutes before plugging in other appliances. Make sure a water heater is full before turning its power on.

Where to buy

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  • Phone power bank

    Anker: Anker Power Bank, 20,000mAh, Built-In USB-C Cable

    A 20,000 mAh pack holds several phone charges and has its own cable, so one less thing to find in the dark.

    Check price at Amazon.comCheck price at Amazon.ca

  • Battery lantern

    Black Diamond: Black Diamond Moji Lantern

    A small AAA-powered lantern that lights a table or room corner without an open flame.

    Check price at Amazon.comCheck price at Amazon.ca

  • Battery lantern

    Goal Zero: Goal Zero Lighthouse Core Lantern and USB Power Hub

    A lantern with a USB port, so it can also top up a phone in an outage.

    Check price at Amazon.comCheck price at Amazon.ca

  • 5 gal / 19 L bucket with a lid

    Reliance: Reliance Luggable Loo Portable 5 Gallon Toilet with Snap-On Lid

    A 5 gal (19 L) bucket toilet with a seat and snap-on lid, for when the toilet can't be flushed.

    Check price at Amazon.comCheck price at Amazon.ca

  • Camp stove, outdoor use only

    Coleman: Coleman Classic 2-Burner Propane Camp Stove

    A two-burner propane stove for cooking through an outage; use it outdoors only, never indoors or in a garage, because it produces carbon monoxide.

    Check price at Amazon.comCheck price at Amazon.ca

  • Battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm

    Kidde: Kidde KN-COB-B-LP Nighthawk Carbon Monoxide Alarm, Battery Operated

    Kidde lists it as UL Listed with an electrochemical sensor, and it runs on 3 AA batteries so it keeps working in a power outage.

    Check price at Amazon.comNo Canadian link yet

  • Battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm

    Kidde: Kidde C3010 Worry-Free Carbon Monoxide Alarm, 10-Year Sealed Battery

    Kidde lists its Canadian C3010-CA as CSA Listed with an electrochemical sensor and a sealed lithium battery, so it keeps working in an outage; check the listing shows the CSA mark before buying.

    No US link yetCheck price at Amazon.ca

Sources

Updated November 9, 2026