Plain House Manual

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Chapter 05Calendar · Practical note

Power outage checklist: what to write down before the next storm

Quick answer

Before the next storm, walk the home once and list everything that needs electricity, as Ready.gov suggests. Next to each item, write what you'll do without it. Then count a flashlight for every person, note the battery size each light and radio takes, and charge a power bank. Write down the outage line, family contacts, and whether your home phone works without power. Keep the list with the kit, in a place everyone knows.

Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026; Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026; American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026.

Example56 gal at home, 12 in the bag4 people, 14-day home supply, 3-day go-bag

Start with what runs on power

Ready.gov's first step for power outages is to take an inventory of the items you need that rely on electricity. It's easy to do with a sheet of paper and ten minutes. Walk the home room by room and write down each thing that stops when the power does.

Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.

  • Lights, room by room
  • Phones, tablets and their chargers
  • The Wi-Fi router and modem
  • A home phone, if you have one
  • The garage door opener
  • The refrigerator and freezer
  • Anything someone in the home relies on for health

Next to each one, write where it is and what you'll use instead, or just 'noted' if there's nothing to plan. This page stays with records. It won't tell you how to run a generator, what to do with the food in the fridge, or how to work an appliance without power. For those, read Ready.gov's power outage page and the maker's manual.

Medical devices: ask the provider

If anyone uses a medical device that needs power, or medicine that needs a refrigerator, Ready.gov says to talk to their medical provider about a plan for outages. On this sheet, write down the device, where it is and the provider's phone number.

Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.

The power list: what stops when the power goes out A filled-in sheet with three columns: what runs on power, where it is, and the plan or number to write down. Rows: ceiling lights, plan a flashlight for each person; phones, power bank and car charger; Wi-Fi router, phones on mobile data; home phone, ask the provider if it works in an outage and how long its battery lasts; garage door opener, the opener's manual is in the binder; refrigerator, nothing to do but note it; anything medical, the provider's number on the sheet. Power list: walk each room once RUNS ON POWERWHEREPLAN OR NUMBER Lightsevery room4 flashlights, 1 each Phoneskitchen counterpower bank, car charger Wi-Fi routerliving roomphones on mobile data Home phonehall tableworks? battery lasts how long? Garage door openergaragemanual is in the binder Refrigeratorkitchennoted Anything medicalbedroomprovider's number here
Fig. 1One walk through the home fills the power list. The right column is the plan or the number you'd want in the dark.

Count the lights and batteries

  1. One flashlight per person

    Ready.gov says to have flashlights for every household member. Count the people, count the flashlights, and write both numbers down.

  2. A radio

    Ready.gov's basic kit list includes a battery-powered or hand crank radio. Write which one you have.

  3. Battery sizes

    Open each flashlight and the radio and write the size it takes, such as AA or D, and how many. Most homes have more than one size.

  4. Spares

    Write how many spares of each size are in the kit. Ready.gov's list includes extra batteries.

  5. The date

    Write the date you checked them. Next time, you'll know how old they are.

Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026; Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026.

Phones and the home phone

Ready.gov's kit list includes a cell phone with chargers and a backup battery, and its outage page names portable chargers and power banks. Write down where the power bank lives and the date you last charged it. A car charger counts too; write which car it's in.

Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026; Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.

If you have a home phone, Ready.gov says to find out whether it will work in a power outage and how long its battery backup lasts. That's a question for your phone provider. Write the answer on the sheet, with the date you asked.

Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.

Who to call, on paper

The Red Cross list includes family and emergency contact information, and a phone that's run out of charge can't show you any numbers. Write them on paper:

Source: American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026.

  • The electric company's outage line, copied from a bill or the company's website
  • Two family members or friends nearby
  • One contact out of the area
  • The landlord or property manager, if you rent
  • The medical provider, if the list above has a medical line

Where the kit is

Ready.gov says to keep the kit in a designated place that every family member knows. Pick one spot, write it at the top of the sheet, and tell everyone. Along with the lights, the Red Cross list includes extra cash, copies of personal documents, and spare car and house keys. Ready.gov suggests a waterproof, portable container for the documents. Write down which pouch or box they're in.

Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026; American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026.

The outage card taped inside the kit lid A card in two halves. Left, what is in the kit and where: kit on the hall closet floor; 4 flashlights and 1 radio; batteries, the flashlights take AA and the radio takes D, with 8 AA and 4 D spares; power bank charged October 18; cash and copies of documents in the waterproof pouch. Right, who to call: the electric company's outage line, two family contacts and one out-of-area contact, and the home phone note. A line at the bottom reads: checked October 18, 2026, next check at the fall time change. Outage card IN THE KIT Kit: hall closet floor 4 flashlights, 1 radio Flashlights take AA, radio takes D Spares: 8 AA, 4 D Power bank charged Oct 18 Cash, document copies: pouch WHO TO CALL Electric outage line: ________ Family 1: ________ Family 2: ________ Out of area: ________ Home phone in an outage: ____ Write numbers on paper too. Checked Oct 18, 2026. Next check: the fall time change.
Fig. 2The outage card lives inside the kit lid. When the lights go out, it says what's in the box and who to call.
A sheet of paper and ten minutes: the power list and the outage card are both filled in with a pencil.
Let the tool do the arithmeticOutage supply plannerThe outage supply planner counts the water, food and flashlights for your household and prints a supply list with Have and Use-by columns. Tape the outage card next to it.Example: 56 gal at home, 12 in the bag (4 people, 14-day home supply, 3-day go-bag)Open the tool

Check it once a year

Ready.gov says to replace expired items as needed and to rethink your needs every year. Pick a date you won't forget. The fall time change, on the first Sunday in November, is easy to remember. On that day, test each flashlight, recharge the power bank, check the battery count, and update any numbers that changed.

Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026; NIST, daylight saving time rules, checked October 12, 2026.

Checklist to print

Fill this in before storm season and keep it inside the kit:

  • Power list: everything that needs electricity, room by room
  • What you'll use instead, next to each item
  • Medical devices and the provider's number, if any
  • Flashlights: one per person, counted
  • Radio: battery-powered or hand crank
  • Battery size for each light and the radio, and spares on hand
  • Power bank: where it is, date last charged
  • Home phone: works in an outage? Battery lasts how long?
  • Outage line, family, out-of-area contact, landlord
  • Kit location everyone knows; cash, document copies, spare keys
  • Date checked, and the next yearly check

Open the printable checklist

Power outage checklist

Tips and tricks

  • Tip 01

    Do the walk in daylight

    It's easier to see what's plugged in when the lights are on. Look behind the TV and under the desk too.

  • Tip 02

    Buy one battery size if you can

    When you replace a flashlight, pick one that takes the same size as the others. Fewer sizes means a shorter spares list.

  • Tip 03

    Keep a light by each bed

    Ready.gov counts a flashlight for every household member. Keep each one on a nightstand so nobody has to find the kit in the dark.

    Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.

  • Tip 04

    Photograph the sheet

    Take a photo of the finished sheet so there's a copy on every phone, and keep the paper in the kit.

What we would do

Put it all on one sheet and tape it in the kit

Walk the home once and list everything that runs on power. Count a flashlight per person and write down each battery size. Note the power bank and the home phone answer, then add the outage line and contacts. Tape the sheet inside the kit and check it at the fall time change.

Questions

What should be on a power outage checklist?

A list of what in the home needs electricity, a flashlight for each person, a battery-powered or hand crank radio, battery sizes and spares, a charged power bank, contact numbers on paper, and where the kit is kept.

Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026; Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026; American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026.

How many flashlights do we need?

Ready.gov says one for every household member. Count the people and match it.

Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.

Will my home phone work when the power is out?

It depends on the service. Ready.gov says to find out whether it will work and how long its battery backup lasts, so ask your phone provider and write down the answer.

Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.

Someone at home uses a medical device that needs power. What do I write down?

Write the device, where it is and the provider's number. Ready.gov says to talk to the medical provider about a plan for outages, so that conversation is the next step.

Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.

How often should I check the outage kit?

Ready.gov says to replace expired items as needed and to rethink your needs every year. The fall time change is an easy date to remember.

Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026; NIST, daylight saving time rules, checked October 12, 2026.

Part of a system

This page is one part of a bigger job. The system page puts the parts in order.

The tool and more guides

Sources

  • Power Outages, Ready.gov (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA). Checked October 18, 2026.
  • Build A Kit, Ready.gov (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA). Checked October 18, 2026.
  • Survival Kit Supplies, American Red Cross. Checked October 17, 2026.
  • Daylight Saving Time Rules, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Checked October 12, 2026.

Every outside number on this page names its source and the date we checked it. See them all on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Photos: Spacejoy / Unsplash, Steve Pancrate / Unsplash, benjamin lehman / Unsplash