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What to do if the power is out

Official updatesLU-Alert · RTL, 100.7 · 112

Do this now

  1. Look outside. If nearby homes have also lost power, the outage is wider than your home.
  2. Switch off and unplug the cooker, heaters, the washing machine and the electric car charger, so nothing restarts on its own when the power returns.
  3. Keep the fridge and freezer shut. Closed, a fridge stays cold for about Status: Verified hours and a full freezer for about Status: Verified hours.
  4. Fill the bathtub, bottles and pans with water while the taps still run. Pumps can stop when the power does.
  5. Use torches rather than candles. Never run a barbecue, camping stove or generator indoors: the fumes kill.
  6. Switch on a battery or car radio and tune to Status: Verified. Text rather than call, keep one phone switched on, and put it in power-saving mode.
  7. Check on neighbours who are older, ill or alone, especially where the lift has stopped.

Before

Stock the basics

  • Water: Status: Verified per person per day, for Status: Verified.
  • Food you can eat without cooking. A gas camping stove with spare cartridges, for use outdoors or on the balcony only.
  • Status: Verified torch per person with Status: Verified spare sets of batteries, or a wind-up torch.
  • A battery or wind-up radio, FM or DAB+. The car radio works too.
  • A charged power bank and the cables for every phone.
  • Cash in small notes: Status: Verified per adult and Status: Verified per child.
  • Your medicines for at least Status: Verified, and a first-aid kit.
  • Blankets or sleeping bags, warm layers, and a plan to keep one room warm.
  • A carbon monoxide alarm on every level where people sleep.

Prepare the home

  • Know where the fuse box is and how to open the garage door by hand.
  • Keep the car at least Status: Verified full. Fuel pumps need electricity.
  • If you ever use a generator, run it outdoors at least Status: Verified metres from doors and windows.
  • Check the kit Status: Verified.
  • Agree with your household where to meet and who collects the children if phones and transport fail.

After

  • When the power returns, wait before switching things back on. Reconnect the heating first, then the fridge and freezer, then wait Status: Verified minutes before the rest.
  • Check the food. Throw away anything perishable that has been warmer than Status: Verified for Status: Verified or more. Food that still has ice crystals can be refrozen.
  • Reset clocks, alarms and timers.
  • Restock what you used: water, batteries, food, cash.
  • If the outage was long or frightening, talk about it with the people around you. Feeling shaken for a few days is normal.

Older documents say

The infocrise power-cut page (last updated November 2022) says a full freezer keeps food frozen for 24 to 36 hours. Food-safety agencies in the US and Canada give about 48 hours for a full freezer and 24 hours for a half-full one. The lower figure is the safer one to plan around.

What counts as a blackout?

If you are…

Looking after children

  • Keep a torch and a familiar game or book within reach for children.
  • Say what is happening in plain words, and what you are doing about it.

Older, ill, or living with a disability

  • If you depend on powered medical equipment, agree a backup plan with your doctor now, and tell a neighbour or the building management that you may need help.
  • Keep spare batteries for hearing aids and a charger for a wheelchair in the kit.

With pets

  • Keep them indoors and close to you. Include their food and water in your stock.

In a flat above the third floor

  • Lifts stop, and water pressure can fail on the upper floors. Fill containers at once, and plan for the stairs.

Easy-read summary

  • Unplug the big appliances.
  • Keep the fridge closed.
  • Fill bottles and the bathtub with water.
  • Use a torch, not a candle.
  • Listen to the radio for news.