How do you prepare for a multi-day power outage?

Water is the priority and the one most people underestimate: plan a gallon per person per day for at least three days and preferably longer, remembering that municipal supply can fail or require boiling when pumping stations lose power, and that well pumps stop entirely without electricity. Then food that requires no cooking or refrigeration, a manual can opener, battery or crank lighting rather than candles, which cause fires, and portable battery banks for phones. A battery or hand-crank radio matters when cell networks are congested or down.

The lethal risk in outages is carbon monoxide, and the pattern is consistent after every major storm. Generators, charcoal and gas grills, camp stoves, and any fuel-burning device must be operated outdoors and well away from doors, windows, and vents, never in a garage even with the door open. Install battery-backed carbon monoxide alarms on every level before you need them. Generators must also be connected properly, either by plugging appliances directly into the unit or through a transfer switch installed by an electrician, because backfeeding through a wall outlet energizes utility lines and can kill line workers.

Temperature and medical needs deserve advance planning. In cold weather, close off unused rooms, insulate with blankets over windows, and know where a warming center is. In heat, which is the more dangerous condition, identify a cooling center in advance, since indoor heat becomes life-threatening for older adults and people with chronic conditions within a day or two. If anyone in the household depends on powered medical equipment, register with your utility for priority restoration where that is offered, and have a backup power plan and an alternate location arranged rather than improvised. Keep some cash on hand since card readers fail, keep vehicle fuel above half, and refrigerated medications such as insulin have specific temperature guidance worth confirming with a pharmacist ahead of time.