What to Do When the Power Goes Out and You Live Alone

The setup

When the lights go out in a full house, someone finds the flashlight while someone else checks the breaker. Alone, you're doing both in the dark, with a phone at 30% and nobody to tell you whether it's just your building.

Why it's hard alone

Every job lands on you at once: light, information, food, warmth or cooling, and staying reachable. Your phone is your flashlight, your news source and your lifeline, and using it for the first drains it for the other two.

The solo method

In the first ten minutes

1. Get light that isn't your phone. A headlamp keeps both hands free.
2. Check whether it's just you. Look out the window, then check your utility's outage map or text line. If the neighbors have power, check your breaker panel.
3. Tell one person. A quick text: "Power's out here, I'm fine, will update." Then someone knows to check on you.
4. Put your phone in low-power mode and stop using it as a flashlight.

If it lasts

5. Keep the fridge and freezer shut. A closed fridge keeps food safe for about four hours. A full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, a half-full one for about 24.
6. Unplug electronics to protect them from a surge when power returns. Leave one lamp switched on so you know when it's back.
7. Stay warm or cool in one room. Close doors and concentrate yourself in the smallest space.
8. Never run a generator, grill or camp stove indoors or in a garage. Carbon monoxide has no smell. Make sure your CO alarm has a battery backup.

What nobody tells you

The moment you most need a charged power bank is the moment you find out it's empty. Keep one dedicated outage bank that never leaves the drawer, and top it up when you change the clocks.