From hurricanes and ice storms to planned wildfire shut-offs, power outages in the US can last hours or days. Having a simple kit ready means you are not hunting for batteries in the dark.
Who to contact
- Your local electric utility handles outages. Their outage number and outage map are on your bill and website, and most let you report an outage by text or app.
- Stay well away from downed power lines and treat them as live. Call 911 and your utility.
- If you rely on medical equipment, ask your utility about their medical priority or critical-care program.
Stay safe during an outage
- Never run a generator, grill or camp stove indoors or in a garage. Carbon monoxide can kill. Keep generators well away from doors and windows.
- Use flashlights, not candles, to cut the fire risk. A rechargeable searchlight and a head torch cover most needs.
- Keep the fridge and freezer closed. Food stays cold for around 4 hours in a closed fridge and longer in a full freezer.
- Unplug appliances so a power surge does not damage them when power returns.
- Keep up with the news. A hand-crank radio with AM/FM lets you hear emergency broadcasts without power or cell service.
Your power outage checklist
- Hand-crank or solar radio
- Flashlights and a lantern (our solar lantern also charges your phone)
- Power bank and charging cables
- Water (about a gallon per person per day) and no-cook food
- A first aid kit and any medicines you need
- Warm layers, gloves and a hand warmer for winter outages
For more official advice, see Ready.gov’s power outage guidance.
More advice: power cut checklist · staying warm · international delivery · all guides.
We now deliver to the United States
Our Power Cut Kit has a wind-up emergency radio, an LED searchlight, a head torch and a first aid kit for £99. Tracked delivery to the United States is £37.40 for the kit, or £25.20 for single items. Prices are in pounds sterling and import charges may apply on arrival.
