Hurricane power outage checklist
Hurricane outages are different from winter ones: they last longer, they happen in the heat, and water and food go bad faster. This list is ordered by what matters first once the power goes, says what to look for rather than naming a model, and uses this site's calculator for what a power station would keep running.
Know this first
Why hurricane outages are harder
Damage to lines and substations can keep the power off for days or, after a major storm, weeks. Heat is the danger: no air conditioning, food spoiling faster, and people sleeping badly. Plan for at least several days without power, not an evening.
Food and water
USDA advice: a closed refrigerator keeps food safe for about 4 hours, a full freezer about 48 hours and a half-full one about 24. Fifty pounds of dry ice holds an 18 cubic foot full freezer for about two days. Ready.gov recommends a gallon of water per person per day, for several days.
Generators and carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide from generators run indoors, in garages or near windows kills people after almost every major hurricane. The CDC says to keep a generator outdoors and more than 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, and to have a battery carbon monoxide detector. A battery power station makes no exhaust and can run indoors.
Light
Candles in a house full of storm debris are a fire risk. LED light is cheap.
Headlamp
Both hands free for the stairs, the breaker panel and the pets.
Look for: USB-C charging or common AA batteries, and a red-light mode.
LED lantern
Lights a whole room for an evening, and unlike candles it cannot start a fire.
Look for: A stated runtime on its low setting and a battery type you already keep at home.
Heat and air
The thing nobody plans for.
Rechargeable fan
After a hurricane the power can stay off for days in heat and humidity. A battery fan by the bed is what makes the nights bearable, and it runs for hours from a power bank.
Look for: USB-C charging, a stated runtime on low, and a clip or stand so it can sit close to you.
Phones and news
Cell service often survives when power does not, so keep the phones going.
NOAA weather radio
Broadcasts National Weather Service alerts directly, with no cell signal or phone battery needed.
Look for: The NOAA weather band with alert function; a hand crank or solar panel is a bonus, not a substitute for batteries.
Power bank, 20,000 mAh
Keeps a phone going for days if you use it sparingly.
Look for: Capacity in watt-hours as well as mAh (about 74 Wh for 20,000 mAh), USB-C in and out, and keep it charged.
Folding solar charger
For outages that last days, a panel in a sunny window or on a balcony tops up phones and power banks when there is nothing to recharge them from.
Look for: A watt rating (20 W or more is useful), a USB-C port, and realistic expectations: behind glass or under cloud it gives far less.
Water and food
Fill containers before landfall, and keep the refrigerator shut.
Stored water
Ready.gov recommends one gallon per person per day, for several days, for drinking and sanitation. Well pumps stop in an outage too.
Look for: Sealed containers you can carry when full; rotate them as the label says.
A cooler
Move what you need for the day into a cooler with ice so the refrigerator stays shut.
Look for: Whatever holds a day of food; add ice before the storm, not after.
Safety and papers
For the days after, when help is slow.
Battery carbon monoxide detector
The CDC advises a battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide detector whenever a generator is running, and one on every level of the home.
Look for: UL 2034 listing and a sealed long-life battery.
First aid kit
Storms bring cuts, burns and sprains at the moment help is slowest to arrive.
Look for: A contents list, and a check on the expiry dates of anything inside it once a year.
What a power station keeps running
The kit above keeps people comfortable. A portable power station keeps things running. This is what a 1,056 Wh Anker SOLIX C1000 manages for each load on its own, from full.
| Load | Alone, from full |
|---|---|
| Fridge-freezer (full size) | 12 h 5 min |
| Box fan | 8 h 55 min |
| Window air conditioner, 5,000 BTU | 2 h 8 min |
| Wi-Fi router | 36 h 33 min |
| Phone charging | 2 days 13 h |
| CPAP (no humidifier) | 18 h 43 min |
A window air conditioner empties even a large station within hours, so for heat, a fan and a cool room are the realistic plan. Run the refrigerator for a few hours at a time and keep it shut in between, and the battery goes much further. A station also recharges from solar panels, which matters when the outage lasts days. Compare stations in the buying guide.
Checklist to print
- Headlamp for each person and a lantern for each room you will use
- Rechargeable fan by each bed, charged
- NOAA weather radio with fresh batteries
- Power banks charged, and a solar panel if the outage could last days
- A gallon of water per person per day, for at least several days
- Cooler, ice, and thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer
- Freezer filled with frozen water bottles
- Battery carbon monoxide detector on every level
- First aid kit and a two-week supply of medications
- Insurance papers, IDs and prescriptions in a waterproof pouch
- If you have a power station: charged, and you know what it can run
Before landfall
- Charge everything: phones, power banks, fans, headlamps, the power station.
- Fill water containers, and fill the freezer with frozen water bottles: a full freezer stays cold twice as long.
- Photograph the house and contents for insurance, and put the papers in the waterproof pouch.
- If you own a generator, decide where it will sit: outdoors, more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents. Never in a garage, even with the door open.
- Check on neighbors who rely on powered medical equipment, and read the medical equipment page if that is you.
Sources
Amazon links on this page are affiliate links; the site may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. They are searches for a type of product, not endorsements of a particular model, and nothing here has been tested hands-on. Prices and stock change constantly.
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