Power outage: first checks, staying safe, food safety times and what to do when the power comes back

Is the power out in my area or just my house?

Whether you call it a power outage or, in the UK, a power cut, the first job is the same: work out where the fault is.

1. 01

   Look around

   Are the neighbors' windows, the streetlights and the traffic signals dark too? In an apartment, check the hallway lights. If everything nearby is out, the problem is on the utility's side.

2. 02

   Check your panel

   If only your home or part of it is dark, open the breaker panel (the consumer unit or fuse box, in UK terms) with a flashlight. Look for a breaker in the middle or Off position, including the main breaker, and push it fully off and back on. Reset it once; if it trips again, leave it off and call an electrician.

3. 03

   Check GFCI outlets

   A dead bathroom, kitchen or outdoor outlet may simply need its GFCI test button reset.

4. 04

   Check the utility

   Look at your utility's outage map or app, or call its outage line. Have your account number or address ready.

5. 05

   Report it

   Report the outage even if neighbors probably have; it helps the utility locate the fault. Report any downed lines, sparks or damaged poles separately.

6. 06

   Note the time

   Write down when the power went off. You will need it for the food safety times below.

What to do during a power outage

• Light: use flashlights and battery lanterns. CDC advises flashlights instead of candles; if you must use a candle, put it in a sturdy holder away from anything that burns and never leave it unattended.
• Electronics: turn off and unplug computers, TVs and other sensitive equipment; power can return with surges.
• One light on: leave one light switched on so you know when power is back, as University of Illinois Extension suggests.
• Fridge and freezer: keep the doors shut. Every opening shortens the safe time.
• Heat and cold: in extreme temperatures, go to a community cooling or warming center. Ready.gov warns never to use a gas stove or oven to heat your home.
• Phones: save battery by lowering screen brightness and closing apps; charge from a power bank or a car, with the car parked outdoors.
• Water and basements: if you have a sump pump, it stops with the power, so watch the basement in heavy rain. Stay out of a flooded basement if outlets or cords are under water, and avoid touching the breaker panel if you are standing in water; ask the utility to cut power at the meter.
• Garage door: the opener is out of action. If you need to open the door by hand, pull the emergency release only with the door closed, and leave it shut if the door feels unusually heavy; see our guide to a broken garage door spring.

Generator and carbon monoxide safety

Most deaths linked to portable generators that are reported to CPSC involve carbon monoxide from generators run indoors or in partly enclosed spaces. You cannot see or smell CO.

Backfeeding can electrocute utility workers and neighbors on the same transformer, and it bypasses your home's circuit protection. CDC lists the common symptoms of CO poisoning as headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion, and warns that people who are asleep can die before they notice anything. Get to fresh air at once and call 911.

Downed power lines and storm damage

• Assume every fallen line is energized until the utility says otherwise. It may make no sound and show no sparks.
• Stay far away and keep children and pets back. Avoid touching anything the line touches, including fences, cars and puddles.
• Drive around a downed line, never over it.
• If a line falls on your car, stay inside and wait for utility or emergency crews, unless the car is on fire.
• Before entering a storm-damaged building, make sure power and gas are off.
• Keep water-damaged appliances unplugged until a qualified person has inspected them.

How long food lasts in the fridge and freezer without power

Keep an appliance thermometer in both the fridge and the freezer: it turns guesswork into a clear answer. Your targets are 40 °F (4 °C) or below in the fridge and 0 °F (−18 °C) or below in the freezer.

• Have coolers and ice ready if the outage will last more than 4 hours, and move milk, meat and leftovers into them.
• Freeze containers of water before a forecast storm: they keep food cold and give you drinking water as they melt.
• Group frozen food together; a packed freezer stays cold longer.
• CDC advises never tasting food to decide whether it is safe, and throwing out anything with an unusual color, smell or texture. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Throw away food that touched flood water unless it was in a waterproof container.

Medical devices and refrigerated medicine

Ready.gov advises anyone who uses power-dependent medical devices or refrigerated medicine to make a plan with their medical provider before an outage.

• Devices: know how long each device runs on battery, keep spare batteries charged, and decide in advance where you will go if the outage outlasts them. Ask your utility whether it keeps a list of customers who rely on medical equipment. If a life-sustaining device stops, call 911.
• Refrigerated medicine: ask your doctor or pharmacist how long each medicine can stay at higher temperatures. Ready.gov says that if the power has been out for more than a day, refrigerated medicine should be discarded unless the label says otherwise, and a new supply requested.
• Insulin: FDA says manufacturer vials and cartridges, opened or unopened, can be kept between 59 °F and 86 °F for up to 28 days in an emergency. Keep insulin away from direct heat and sunlight, never use insulin that has frozen, and discard pump insulin exposed to temperatures above 98.6 °F. Some products have different limits, so check the leaflet.

Power outage checklist and kit

Ready.gov recommends a basic emergency kit you can rely on for several days. Keep it in a cool, dry place everyone knows.

Before storm season, also make a list of everything in your home that needs electricity, check whether your home phone works in an outage, and find out where local heating and cooling centers open.

What to do when the power comes back on

1. 01

   Wait a few minutes

   Let the supply settle before you plug anything back in.

2. 02

   One at a time

   Switch appliances and electronics back on one by one to avoid overloading circuits.

3. 03

   Check the thermometers

   Read the fridge and freezer thermometers and work through the food safety table above.

4. 04

   Check medicines

   Replace refrigerated medicines that were out of range, as described above.

5. 05

   Inspect for damage

   Keep any appliance that got wet switched off until it has been checked. Look at the basement and around the sump pump.

6. 06

   Reset and restock

   Reset clocks, thermostats and timers, recharge power banks and flashlight batteries, and refill the kit.

7. 07

   Check your systems

   If the AC or furnace fails to restart, check its breaker and see our AC not cooling guide.

Sources

Official safety and food safety guidance, checked on 27 October 2026.

• Ready.gov · Power outages ↗Fridge and freezer times, generator distance, never heating with a gas stove, unplugging electronics, medical devices and refrigerated medicine.
• Ready.gov · Build a kit ↗Kit contents, one gallon of water per person per day for several days.
• US FDA · Food and water safety during power outages and floods ↗40 °F and 0 °F targets, 4, 24 and 48 hour times, refreezing, room temperature limits, flood-contaminated food.
• US FDA · Insulin storage in an emergency ↗Insulin at 59 to 86 °F for up to 28 days, frozen insulin and pump insulin above 98.6 °F.
• CDC · Carbon monoxide poisoning basics ↗Generator distance, CO alarms near sleeping areas, symptoms and risk during sleep.
• CDC · Proper use of candles during a power outage ↗Flashlights instead of candles, never leaving a candle unattended.
• US Consumer Product Safety Commission · Portable generator hazards ↗Never indoors or in garages, 20 feet from openings, CO alarms, backfeeding, cords and refueling.
• University of Illinois Extension · Power outage safety ↗Reporting outages, downed lines, flooded basements, one light on, restoring appliances one at a time, transfer switches.