What to Do When Your Power Goes Out

Look outside... if neighbors' lights are on and yours aren't, the problem may be isolated to your home (a tripped breaker, a blown fuse) rather than a utility outage. Check your electrical panel for a tripped breaker before assuming it's a wider outage. If neighbors are also dark, it's a utility issue, and reporting it (most utilities have an outage-reporting number or app) helps them prioritize repairs and gives you an estimated restoration time.

Power sometimes comes back with a brief surge, which can damage sensitive electronics. Unplug computers, TVs, and other expensive equipment, or at minimum make sure they're on surge protectors. Turn off (don't just leave running) major appliances like the AC or washer/dryer, so they don't all try to restart simultaneously and strain the system the moment power returns... this also protects the compressor motors in AC units and refrigerators from restart damage.

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible... a closed fridge keeps food safely cold for about 4 hours, a full freezer for about 48 hours (a half-full freezer, closer to 24). If the outage is likely to stretch past a few hours, consolidate freezer items to keep them packed together (they stay cold longer that way) and consider a cooler with ice for anything you need to access frequently.

If it's winter and the outage means your furnace is also down, pipe freezing becomes a real risk after several hours in freezing temperatures. Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls to let warmer room air reach the pipes, and let faucets drip slightly if the outage is extending and temperatures are well below freezing... moving water is much less likely to freeze than standing water.

Never run a portable generator indoors, in a garage (even with the door open), or near windows and doors... carbon monoxide from generator exhaust is a genuine, fatal risk and this is one of the more common causes of CO poisoning during extended outages. Keep it well away from the house, and never plug a generator directly into a wall outlet without a proper transfer switch, which can send power backward into the grid and injure utility workers.

A brief outage (under a few hours) is usually just an inconvenience. An outage stretching beyond 24 hours, especially in extreme heat or cold, is when food safety, pipe freeze risk, and medical equipment dependent on power (if anyone in the household relies on any) become real concerns worth actively managing... this is the point to consider a hotel, a friend's house, or a public cooling/warming center if your utility or local government has one open.