Surviving a Blackout: Home Checklist

Objective

Stabilize safety, light, water, comms, and food for a multi-day outage—without creating new hazards.

First 15 Minutes

1. Check for hazards (gas smell, sparks, broken glass, stuck elevators). If gas odor: evacuate and call utility from outside.
2. Unplug sensitive electronics; leave one light switched on as your “power-return” indicator.
3. Stage headlamp, radio, and power bank. Text family status and rendezvous plan.

First Hour

1. Water: Fill bathtub/containers now while system pressure lasts.
2. Food: Move perishables you’ll eat soon to a cooler with ice packs. Keep fridge/freezer closed.
3. Lighting: One lantern per room, placed away from curtains. Prefer LED to candles.
4. Security: Lock doors/windows; set door wedge. Recon stairwell with a light if you must leave.

First Night

• Device schedule: rotate charging on the hour to conserve the bank.
• Ventilation: crack a window for fresh air; avoid CO build-up if cooking.
• Comms: get local updates via FM radio; note any boil-water advisories.

Day Two

• Cook fridge/freezer food first using a camp stove outdoors or by an open window with a CO alarm.
• Top up water if pressure remains; check neighbors (especially elderly).
• If outage extends, set a nightly lights-out time and a morning task list.

Apartment Example

8th-floor resident stages a lantern in each room, fills a collapsible 10 L container, wedges the door, and places a battery CO alarm near the kitchen window. A small power bank trickle-charges phones by day at the window from a 10W solar panel.

Common Errors

• Open flames near drapes or on bookshelves.
• Opening the fridge repeatedly “to check.”
• Running a generator indoors or on a balcony.

10-Minute Drill

Flip your main breaker (or simulate). Can you light each room, fill water, and contact family within 10 minutes? Note any gaps and fix them this week.

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