Power Outage Kit

Basics, Food Planner and Kit Lists, Prepare/Respond/Recover

When the power goes out…….

Power outages are caused by a wide variety of factors like general utility problems, winter storms, lightening strikes, wind storms as well as numerous other reasons.  Depending upon your geographic location, housing type, environment, and overall health – power outages can range from a minor inconvenience to a serious threat.

As a youth power outages were adventurous and often exciting. The power would flicker, go out and my parents would get a flashlight, a few candles and if need be build a roaring fire in the fire place.– this was awesome and I knew everything would be fine.

As an adult I no longer view the loss of power as “fun”. I’ve seen residential areas be without power for up to 3 weeks. Water pumps not run, gas stations not pump fuel even food in refrigerators and freezers that went bad. It is a miserable experience and people were not prepared.

Power failures happen all the time – Taking a few practical steps like putting together a “Power Out Kit” can make dealing with most any power failure a bit easier.

A Power Out Kit often can be done with items that are already found in most households. The goal is to have a single location to find supplies to respond calmly in a power failure.  Each kit idea is similar, but should give you ideas on how to make yours custom to your family.

Power Outage Kit Ideas #1:

  1. Outdoor cooker and fuel
  2. Non-perishable food
  3. Medications needed for family
  4. Lanterns
  5. Head lamps
  6. Batteries
  7. Flashlights
  8. 100 Hour Emergency Candle
  9. Garbage Bags
  10. Multi-Purpose Lighter
  11. 12 Hour Emergency Light Stick
  12. AM/FM NOAA Weather Radio
  13. Walkie-Talkies (Many newer walkies cover NOAA weather frequencies)
  14. Power Chargers
  15. Multi Tool
  16. Mini First Aid Kit
  17. Glow-In-The-Dark Duct Tape
  18. Playing Cards and Dice

Power Out Kit Idea # 2

Supply list:

  1. Flashlight, large (wide beam spotlight)
  2. LED Maglite, D cell
  3. Lanterns, battery operated
  4. Flashlights, LED – small
  5. Lightsticks
  6. Candles, pillar
  7. Candles, jar – large
  8. Tealights
  9. Can opener
  10. Propane canisters
  11. Power Battery or 750 watt inverter
  12. AM/FM radio, battery operated
  13. DVD player, portable
  14. Butane lighters
  15. Matches, box
  16. Extra batteries

 Power Out Kit Idea # 3

  1. A Coleman stove and plenty of propane – for use outdoors only.
  2. Non Perishable Food
  3. Butane Lighter
  4. Batteries
  5. Matches
  6. Flashlights
  7. Noni Lantern
  8. Candles
  9. A car cell-phone charger
  10. Portable chargers (Power Bank)
  11. Small First Aid kit
  12. Medications as needed for your family
  13. Manual can opener
  14. Utility Tool
  15. Small Water purifications
  16. Sleeping bags
  17. Baby wipes and Hand Sanitizer
  18. Transistor Radio
  19. Board games and Books
  20. Treats

Let’s review the contents of these kits:

Flashlights – Flashlights are the basic building block to a black out kit and are invaluable when it comes to existing in a grid down situation. The quality and brightness of flashlights are getting better all the time while the cost continues to drop. Many flashlights today utilize LED bulbs which are extremely durable, super bright, and use very little power.

Battery Operated Lanterns – Very much like flashlights described above – lanterns provide light over a wider area. For illuminating a large area battery operated lanterns work exceedingly well. Oil lamps can also work well however there is a much greater risk of fire using them compared to battery operated. LED lanterns are more expensive however they provide much more light and sip power out of batteries.

Lightsticks – These chemically activated lightsticks provide dim light with no heat and using no energy for several hours.  Available in different colors – these are very popular with kids which could help alleviate worries and concerns with them.

Candles – It goes without saying but I have to say it – SAFETY FIRST. Burning candles obviously exposes the environment to open flame and it only takes a moment to ignite the wrong thing and the power outage now becomes much more serious. With that said – candles can be used safely to provide soft light to illuminate areas for a long period of time.

Can Opener – Most any household contains enough food to last a family 3-4 days. Commonly much of that food is in cans. Should the power fail electric can openers will no longer work. Having a manual can opener will allow access to those valuable canned goods. A simple and inexpensive tool that will be very valuable should the grid go down.

Propane Canisters – Cooking certainly becomes more difficult without electricity.  Try to have a portable camp stove that runs on small propane canisters. These inexpensive camp stoves can be used outside to cook very similar to a conventional stove top.

Power Inverter – An Inverter is a  device which converts DC power (battery) to AC power (household). Having an inverter provides the ability to operate a variety of devices such as box fans, electric lights, small power tools, and other electronic devices such as radios and computers.

Battery Operated AM/FM Radio – Being able to get news during a black out could be very critical depending on the nature of the situation. Having a small battery powered AM/FM radio with spare batteries will provide access to news updates as well as entertainment.

Butane Lighters and Matches –  Lighting up a candle or starting a camp stove is difficult rubbing two sticks together. Matches – which are super cheap – serve the same purpose and are just another option.

Extra Batteries – It is very important to store extra batteries for each battery-powered device. Difficult to listen to your local AM news station without batteries in that radio. Put away several spares and always buy high quality alkaline.

A few other things to consider:

  • DO NOT open refrigerators and freezers unless absolutely necessary. Every time they are opened valuable cold air escapes.
  • Have food available that simple meals can be made from. A few examples are soup, pasta and spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and jelly. Hot cocoa and coffee is also usually a welcome addition.
  • Battery Chargers – With so many devices capable of being charged via USB plugs – have a couple of USB adapters that can plug into the cigarette lighter or 12V power outlet in your vehicle. Being able to charge up a tablet PC, cell phone, or  book reader would be nice.
  • Fire Extinguisher – Have a fire extinguisher available. You never know what may happen – and lighting matches and using candles certainly increases the risk of fire.
  • Generators  –  Even small generators often can power a refrigerator along with a few other things at the same time. Before purchasing read up on what your power requirements are.
  • Helping neighbors – It is very likely that your neighbors will be less prepared than yourself, if possible put back a few extra flashlights and batteries to help your neighbor.