Preparedness guide
A household power outage checklist
Prepare light, communication, food safety, medication needs and a decision point for leaving home.
Prepare safe lighting, charged backup power, a radio and a food safety plan. Identify when heat, cold or medical needs make evacuation safer.
Before an outage
Charge power banks, test torches and radios, and record essential numbers on paper.
- Safe battery lighting
- Charged backup power
- Battery or hand-crank radio
- Paper contact list
Protect food and equipment
Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Follow public-health guidance before eating food that may have warmed for too long.
Know when to leave
Extreme heat, cold, fire risk or electricity-dependent medical equipment can make staying home unsafe. Follow local authorities and your healthcare plan.
Primary sources
Use the latest local guidance where it is stricter or more specific than this general starting point.
Preparedness information only. Follow emergency services, public-health authorities and qualified professionals for urgent or individual advice.