Grid-Down & Extended Outage

The 7-Day Power Outage Plan

A Practical Family Guide to Staying Safe When the Power Goes Out

A step-by-step family plan for the first 15 minutes, the first hour, and a full week without power.

59 pages 6 sample pages below

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About this guide

What you will learn

The first minutes of a power outage are for people, immediate hazards, and information. You do not need to solve every problem at once. The 7-Day Power Outage Plan is a 59-page practical family guide that takes you from the moment the lights go out through a full week without electricity, then helps you recover and improve your plan afterward.

Start here, one step at a time

The guide opens with visual quick-start pages: check everyone, find a flashlight and move carefully, stay away from wires, smoke, and floodwater, and check local alerts. A second visual page helps you build your household's first-hour plan. From there, each chapter builds on the last so your household always knows the next sensible step.

What's inside

Chapter 1: The First 15 Minutes, covering people, hazards, medical equipment, and noting when the outage began
Chapter 2: Your Household's First Hour, covering who is home, what is needed, and who to contact
Chapter 3: Water, Sanitation, and Medications, including setting a water goal
Chapter 4: Keeping Food Safe, with refrigerator and freezer decisions based on official food-safety charts
Chapter 5: Light, Phones, and Communication, including a simple check-in message
Chapter 6: Staying Warm or Cool Safely, with carbon monoxide precautions
Chapter 7: Children, Older Adults, and Pets
Chapter 8: Deciding When to Leave: stay, get help, or leave
Chapter 9: A Seven-Day Outage Plan, with a daily family check and a seven-day overview
Chapter 10: Recovery and Improving Your Plan

Designed to be used, not just read

Each section pairs a Plan Ahead box with suggested quantities, such as one flashlight per person and a replacement set of batteries for each light, and a Situation Assessment box with the questions to ask in the moment. Practice It prompts encourage short drills, like walking the route from each bedroom to an exit with a flashlight. Household worksheets and checklists at the back give you space to record contacts, supplies, medical backup plans, and decisions so nothing depends on memory during a stressful night.

Based on authoritative sources

Guidance throughout draws on public health and safety organizations including the CDC, FoodSafety.gov, FDA, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Weather Service, and FEMA, along with the American Red Cross and university extension material. Numbered references connect the text to a full source list so you can confirm current recommendations before and during an emergency.

Who it's for

Families, couples, and individuals who want a calm, realistic plan for a multi-day outage, including households with young children, older adults, pets, or someone who depends on powered medical equipment. Whether the outage comes from a summer storm or a winter blizzard, this guide helps you stay organized, safe, and in control for seven days and beyond. It is also a strong foundation for our winter-specific and quick-reference titles.

References