Guide, United States

Power outage emergency kit: the complete list, and the safety rules that matter

How we wrote this: researched from the official sources listed at the end of the page; the safety sections restate CDC, CPSC and Ready.gov guidance. General information only, not medical or legal advice. Last checked 1 November 2026.

Last reviewed: November 1, 2026

A power outage preparedness kit (also called a power outage preparation kit or emergency kit) holds the light, communication, food, water, warmth and safety items your household needs when the electricity is off. That means a flashlight for every household member, a battery-powered or hand crank radio, a power bank for your phone, a several-day supply of food and water, and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup. The ready-made version is the power outage kit; this guide is the full list behind it, plus the safety rules that matter most.

Holdline Provisions sells packs and gear for this, and we say so up front. The list below comes from the official sources at the end of the page, so you can build all of it yourself.

The kit on one screen

Light: a flashlight for every household member, plus extra batteries.
Communication: a battery-powered or hand crank radio, a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, a cell phone with chargers, and a portable charger or power bank.
Water: one gallon per person per day, for several days.
Food: a several-day supply of non-perishable food, a manual can opener, and paper plates and plastic utensils.
Cooling: coolers and ice, and a thermometer for the fridge.
Safety: carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup on every level, and a fire extinguisher.
Health: a first aid kit and your household's prescription medicines.
Warmth: blankets or sleeping bags, weather-appropriate clothes, sturdy shoes and heavy gloves.
Papers and cash: copies of insurance policies, identification and bank records in a waterproof, portable container, and some cash.
Household extras: the phone number of your electric company, instructions for opening an electric garage door by hand, games for children, and pet supplies.

Most of that is Ready.gov's list. The garage door, the phone number, the paper plates and the coolers come from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), an electric power industry association, in its January 2026 outage kit. EEI's list also includes candles, a portable heater and a portable generator. We have not put candles or heaters in this kit, and the generator rules get their own section below.

Light and communication

Ready.gov says to have flashlights for every household member. The CDC adds that battery-powered flashlights and lanterns should be used instead of candles, gas lanterns or torches.

For information, Ready.gov's kit list names a battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert. Wireless Emergency Alerts and Emergency Alert System messages need no sign-up, according to Ready.gov's hurricane page, and a radio runs on its own batteries or crank, not on your phone's battery. Our emergency radios category lists what we sell and the specifications the supplier documents.

For phones, Ready.gov says to plan for batteries and other alternative power sources, such as a portable charger or power bank. It also says to find out whether your home phone will work during an outage and how long its battery backup lasts, and to take an inventory of the items in your home that rely on electricity. When power returns, Ready.gov says it may come with momentary surges or spikes that can cause damage, so disconnect appliances and electronics.

Food, water and the fridge

Keep the freezer and the refrigerator closed. Ready.gov says the refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours, and a full freezer keeps its temperature for about 48 hours. The CDC gives the same figures and adds that a half-full freezer keeps food safe for 24 hours.

Use a thermometer. Ready.gov says to throw out food if the temperature is 40°F (about 4°C) or higher, and to discard food that has been above 40°F for two hours or more or that has an unusual odor, color or texture. Its short rule: when in doubt, throw it out. The CDC says to discard perishable refrigerator food, meaning meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers, if the power has been off for 4 hours or more. Ready.gov's food page explains why: bacteria in food grow rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

For water, store at least one gallon per person per day for several days, as Ready.gov says. The CDC warns that water purification systems may not work fully during an outage, and that safe water includes bottled, boiled or treated water. Your state, local or tribal health department can advise on boiling or treating water in your area. General information, not medical advice.

Heat and cold

Ready.gov says never to use a gas stove or oven to heat your home, because of carbon monoxide poisoning, fire and burn risks. It also says to check with local officials about heating and cooling locations open near you, and to go to a community location with power if the heat or cold is extreme.

On heat, the CDC says that if you have no air conditioning you should contact your local health department or find an air-conditioned shelter, and that when temperatures are very high, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. On cold, the CDC says hypothermia is a medical emergency and that a person whose temperature is below 95°F needs medical attention immediately. For a cold-weather kit and the full heating rules, see our winter storm preparedness kit guide. General information, not medical advice.

Safe power: generators and carbon monoxide

This is the section that matters most, so it comes from the government and not from us.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that, in the CDC's words, kills without warning. Symptoms include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion, and the CDC notes that people who are sleeping can die before they have symptoms. The CDC says more than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that more than 200 people in the United States die every year from accidental non-fire CO poisoning linked to consumer products, and more than 100 of those deaths are linked to portable generators. The figures differ because the counts differ: the CDC number covers unintentional poisoning not linked to fires, and the CPSC number covers deaths linked to consumer products.

The CPSC puts the generator risk this way: one portable generator produces "the same amount of carbon monoxide as hundreds of cars".

The rules, as the agencies state them:

Outdoors only. Ready.gov says to use generators and fuel only outdoors and at least 20 feet (about 6 meters) away from windows, doors and attached garages. The CDC says to operate a generator more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents, and the CPSC says at least 20 feet from the home with the exhaust facing away.
Never inside. The CDC and the CPSC both say never to use a generator inside your home or garage, even with the doors and windows open.
Distance. The CDC says to use an extension cord longer than 20 feet to place the generator at a safe distance. Ready.gov says to use heavy-duty extension cords, keep the generator dry, and let it cool before refueling.
Grills and stoves. Ready.gov says camp stoves and charcoal grills belong outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows. The CDC says not to use charcoal grills, hibachis, lanterns or portable camping stoves inside a home, tent or camper.
Vehicles. The CDC says never to run a car or truck inside a garage attached to a house, even with the garage door open.
Detectors. Ready.gov says to install CO detectors with battery backup in central locations on every level of your home. The CPSC recommends battery-operated alarms or alarms with battery backup on every level and outside sleeping areas, and says interconnected alarms are best. The CDC recommends them near every sleeping area, says to check the batteries when you change the clocks each spring and fall, and says to replace a detector according to the manufacturer's instructions or every 5 years. The CDC also says to use a battery-powered or battery backup CO detector whenever you run a generator.

If you think someone has CO poisoning, the CPSC says to get to fresh air immediately and call 911. The CDC says to call 911 or Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

This is not theoretical. The Texas Department of State Health Services counted 19 fatal carbon monoxide poisonings among the deaths it attributed to the February 2021 winter storm, and said they resulted from inappropriate use of generators, grills, heaters, vehicles running in enclosed spaces, and ice obstructing vents in gas-powered heating equipment. The Texas Comptroller reports that 69 percent of Texans lost power at some point from February 14 to 20, 2021, according to a University of Houston survey, and that the average outage among them lasted 42 hours. A kit is the plan for the household that needs one when the lights go out.

General information, not medical advice. Follow the CDC, the CPSC, your local emergency officials and the manufacturer's manual.

Medical and powered devices

Ready.gov's guidance here is short, and we add none of our own:

Talk to your medical provider about a power outage plan for electricity-dependent medical devices and refrigerated medicines.
Find out how long your medication can be stored at higher temperatures, and get specific guidance for medications that are critical for life.
Have alternate plans for refrigerating medicines or using power-dependent devices.

Both Ready.gov and the CDC say that if the power is out for more than a day, you should discard medication that needs refrigeration unless the label says otherwise, and consult your doctor or pharmacist for a new supply. General information, not medical advice.

Generator or power station?

A generator burns fuel, which is the reason for the 20-foot rule above. A power station runs from a battery, and the manufacturer's manual is the place to read where and how to use one. We give no indoor-use instructions here. For the trade-offs, read generator vs power station, size one with the power station calculator, and browse power stations.

Apartment and winter variants

Living in an apartment changes where the kit goes and what you can do about heat and cooling, and our guide to a power outage in an apartment covers it. For storms, start with the winter storm preparedness kit. The plain power outage checklist is the one-page version, and the power outage preparedness guide is the long one.

FAQ

How many days should the kit cover? Ready.gov says several days and does not give an exact number. Our packs start at 72 hours, which is our product choice and not an official rule.

Do I need candles? The CDC's advice is to use battery-powered flashlights and lanterns instead of candles. We have left candles out of the kit.

How do I use a power station safely? Follow the manufacturer's manual. We do not give instructions of our own, and we make no claim about how long a given unit will run a given appliance.

What about a medical device that needs power? See the medical section above and talk to your medical provider about a plan.

Next step

Get the power outage kit, or use this page as the shopping list and build your own.

Sources and last checked

All pages opened on November 1, 2026. Page dates are as shown on each page.

Ready.gov: Power Outages, updated June 4, 2026.
Ready.gov: Build a Kit, updated July 1, 2026.
Ready.gov: Food, updated March 12, 2026.
Ready.gov: Hurricanes, updated October 16, 2026.
CDC: Power Outage Safety, last reviewed August 26, 2026.
CDC: Carbon Monoxide, last reviewed October 26, 2026.
CPSC: Carbon Monoxide Information Center.
Edison Electric Institute: Emergency Outage Kit, January 2026.
Texas DSHS: February 2021 Winter Storm-Related Deaths, December 31, 2021.
Texas Comptroller: Winter Storm Impact, Fiscal Notes, October 2021.

The USDA food safety page for power outages refused our request, so the food figures above come from Ready.gov and the CDC. If you find an error, tell us through the contact page and we will check it against the source.