Light and power
- Flashlights and lanterns for every room — avoid candles when possible
- A stock of batteries in common sizes
- Power banks for phones, charged and ready
- A generator only if you know how to run it safely outdoors
Keep your food safe
A closed refrigerator keeps food cold for about 4 hours; a full freezer holds for roughly 48 hours. Keep doors shut, and use a fridge thermometer. When in doubt, throw it out — perishable food above 40°F for over two hours is a risk.
Staying warm in winter
- Layer clothing and use blankets and sleeping bags rated for cold
- Close off one room to conserve heat
- Never use a gas stove, oven, or outdoor grill to heat your home
- Keep generators and fuel-burning devices outside, away from windows
Carbon monoxide safety
Most outage deaths come from carbon monoxide poisoning, not the cold itself. Install battery-powered CO detectors and never run engines, generators, or grills indoors or in a garage.
Know your weak points
If you rely on electric heat, well water, or powered medical equipment, an outage hits harder. Prepit factors your home's heating and power setup into your readiness score and flags exactly where you're exposed.